Ballots & Bullets: Hamas' Rise To Power

Ballots & Bullets: Hamas' Rise To Power
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

11:32 AM 1/29/06 Sun

Without question the big event of the week - perhaps the entire year - was the landslide electoral victory of the terrorist group Hamas, in the Palestinian Parliamentary Elections over the old guard Fatah Movement, the organization founded by the late Yasir Arafat. These events have put the Bush Administration in a very ticklish place, with regard to its stated policy of promoting Democracy in the Middle East and larger Islamic World; the old phrase comes to mind, "be careful what you wish for; you might get it!".

Back in the 1960s, the slain civil rights leader Malcolm X gave a speech entitled "The Ballot, or the Bullet", where he discussed the two principle choices given to any people anywhere in the world, on whether they would have a role to play in their own affairs. Of course, he was speaking to and in the main, about African Americans, still dealing with state sponsored segregation , disempowerment, disenfranchisement and victimisation - but Brother Minister Malcolm clearly understood the other key struggles extant in the world at the time he gave his famous speech. Malcolm said plainly, that people will either choose the ballot, or the bullet, when it came to the right of that people to govern themselves. The ballot, Malcolm acknowledged, was much more preferrable; but the bullet could not be ruled out, when more peaceful means were not available.

In the current case with Hamas, a longstanding organization that advocates armed resistance against and the destruction of the State of Israel, it seems that, for now, the ballot has finally won out over the bullet. But the heads of Hamas, only days after their stunning electoral victory, have already gone on record as saying that they will not recognize the Jewish State, nor will it "demilitarize" their armed wing. These and other actions, like the recent meeting that took place between the Hamas heads and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Dasmascus, have led the United States and Israel to publicly state that they will not negotiate with Hamas, and the Bush Administration has announced that it will "review" its funding of the Palestinian Authority. All of this, following on the heels of Ariel Sharon's massive stroke, puts the so-called "roadmap" in serious trouble of being derailed.

As we all know, there is no state for the Palestinian people, and hence in my view, no "birthchart" upon which to make an analysis. But we do have a few "stand-in" charts that document very well these dramatic events. The first such chart we'll examine, is the Jupiter-Saturn Great Conjunction Chart of 2000, set for the very, very important city of Jerusalem, on May 28 2000, at 6.03PM EET; Placidus 1 Sag 17.

This chart suggests strongly, the struggle between the Palestinian Authority and more radical elements that threaten to topple the ruling Fatah Party from power: note the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction itself in Taurus, representing land (getting a state) in the 6th House of the military and security forces as well as civil services, in square aspect to Uranus, strong in its own Sign Aquarius, in and ruling the 3rd House of communications, mindset, and, as it turns out "leaflets" - as in the leaflets that were handed out on the day when Hamas was officially founded. We'll take a look at the astrology of Hamas in a moment. But for now, the current map under consideration gives us even more clues...

We see the Sun in the JSC chart, which represents the president or prime minister, is opposed by Pluto - a classic aspect of power struggles. That this aspect takes place along the 1-7 House axis suggests even more the tensions between the Fatah controlled PA and the more radical elements who were successful in riding the wave of public discontent with Fatah on the basis that it was not only old, but corrupt and impotent in delivering any goods and services to the Palestinian people. Last week's elections coincided with the transit square of Uranus to the JSC Sun(!) signifying a "course correction" with regard to leadership in the Palestinian Territories, in a shocking, surprising, even brutal way. Surely, you've seen the "live feed" of rioting going by Fatah supporters, demanding that senior officials in the party step down in the wake of the election loss.

The Uranian role that Hamas plays is further exemplified when examining its foundation chart: Dec 14 1987, 12PM EET, in Jersusalem (NOTE: the time and place have been selected by me, since no time has been mentioned; and again, Jerusalem has both temporal and religious significance to both the Muslim and Jewish peoples. Source for the date itself: Tel Aviv University website). There is a FOUR planet cluster in Sagittarius, with the Sun in conjunction with both Saturn AND URANUS, ALL IN THE 9th HOUSE!!! Here is the "radical" signature that Hamas is known for; the very word "hamas" is Arabic for "zeal" and the founders of Hamas wanted to actively agitate for change, up to and including using armed resistance and a "one state solution" in the region. This chart, with the aforementioned Sag stellium, a Pisces Asc, an Asc ruling Neptune in the 10th square a Libra Moon in the 7th, and a rising Jupiter in Aries trine the planets in Sag, all points to an organization that is dynamic, fiercely devout, deeply politically involved and motivated, and ideological to an extreme yet has mass appeal to the Palestinian public and to a large extent, the wider Islamic World. Finally, we see the Mars-Pluto conjunction in Scorpio...there's the "armed resistance" that Hamas is so well known for. In the 8th House, this conjunction represents Hamas' willingness not to directly engage Israeli troops in firefights in the disputed territories, but also employing suicide bombers among the Israeli citizenry as well. At the time of the electoral vicory last week, we note the transit of Pluto applying to exact conjuction to the Hamas MC and square its Asc; this is a major watershed time in the life of Hamas. They've successfully turned the corner; no matter what Bush or the Israeli gov't may say, Hamas is for real and has arrived as a major player in the fate of the Palestinian people, of Israel, indeed, of the entire Middle East.

Aside from its "armed resistance" activities, Hamas also has a strong reputation in the Palestinian communities for rendering much needed social and health care services, strongly promoting women to run for office, and for bringing a strong Islamic influence back into the public square. It charges the Fatah Party not only with corruption and old ideas, but with being too cozy with the West and in particular, America, and promises the Palestinian people a new day in the way things are going to be run.

It's extremely difficult for President Bush and his advisors to back out on the democratization of the Middle East now; too much has been invested in the grand plan. Nor can he simply "freeze out" Hamas, given the fact that the Palestinian people have duly elected Hamas to lead them into the foreseeable future. Despite saber rattling and tough sounding rhetoric, in the end, both the Bush team and the Israelis know, that they at least have to try to negotiate with Hamas. Not doing so would be even more disasterous than it was when Arafat was still alive.

And as for Hamas, now the fun really begins - providing healthcare and social services in a few provinces and towns is one thing, but to run a state apparatus and all that comes with it is something else entirely. Hamas will have to work with other elements of the government it has now won, in order to get anything done; it will have to learn the art of compromise. Many analysts around the world see this as a potential "maturing process" for Hamas, that they can learn to moderate its stances regarding Israel and the use of terrorism, by having to meet the day to day demands of getting the trash picked up on time and keeping the lights on. And then there's the very important and urgent need to continue to attract foriegn investment in the West Bank and elsewhere, if ever the Palestinians are to be an economically viable state. In any event, as it stands now, the election of Hamas is in many ways a victory for the Bush team, in that it proves that through the democratic process, marginalized voices can have their place at the table - and that more than anything, is much more preferrable than terror.

But who's going to take the first step in getting the roadmap back on track - the USA, Israel, or Hamas??? From an inspection of the charts, it's highly unlikely to expect Hamas to make a first move. First of all, it just won the elections; two, it's horoscope shows a decided lack of Earh element and a somewhat "muffled" Saturn placement, while at the same time it's top heavy in the Fire and Water elements. This suggests that Hamas lacks the pragmatic forebearance to know when to reign the extreme elements of itself in, and when to let it rip, as it were. Hamas has too much invested in "the revolution" and simply cannot see itself let that go...not without a lot of help.

The USA's astrology shows, at this time, transit Pluto moving away from Neptune in the 9th, while transit Uranus just squares the USA Uranus again, ruling the 3rd. The USA will eventually come along to the table, but not right now; the scene is still too hot.

But Israel, undergoing the Neptune transit in opposition to its Saturn, while its undergoing a 2nd Saturn Return, will have to be the one who extends the olive branch to one its most sworn enemies. While the official state position is that it will talk to Hamas, there are already reports of polls taken among the Israeli people that they are willing to hear what Hamas has to say. It's difficult to assert oneself strongly during a time when both Saturn and Neptune are making significant movements over one's chart, and this is true for either a regular or a country. Israel will indeed be the one to make the first move.

With the Iraq War continuing to play centerstage in the Bush Administration's calculations, with Osama Bin Laden's return via cassette tape message, with the Muslim Brotherhood winning major seats in the Egyptian governmental elections recently and the recent election of President Ahmadinejad in Iran, the stakes are very, very high. The United States simply cannot afford to sit back on the sidelines with regard to the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, like it did during the Arafat Era. And with the contacts between its chart and that of Hamas, there is some hope that some progress CAN be made.

In any event, the past week's events in particular, have been an object lesson in the meaning of the Astrological Uranus, which represents rebellion, radicalism, revolution, and perhaps most importantly, representative democracy.

More needs to develop before I can elaborate further. But what is clear, is that as Malcolm X said, this whole matter can be settled by only one of two ways...

The Ballot, or The Bullet.

Hmm...

Salaam,
Mu

What It Means To Be A Public Astrological Intellectual

What It Means To Be A Public Astrological Intellectual
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

7:19 AM 1/29/06 Sun

I frequently get emails and other communications from colleagues and astrologically interested persons, as to the nature of my writing; why I state the things that I do. As one might guess, some of it is favorable, offering additional insights that they think I might be interested in, and a large part of the replies are sent with a harsh tonality of criticism behind it. This I don't mind, in fact, I live for the debate of ideas, and this plays a huge part of why I write what I do.

I don't think it was an accident that someone like myself - a young, African American, Muslim male, inner-city born and bred - would be interested in Astrology. Over the years, I could have made a mint of money for everytime I heard from someone upon meeting me face to face saying, "you don't look like an astrologer". While I'm sure all those people meant well, the implication is explicit enough - the world of Astrology is in the main, dominated by a certain archetype - White, middle-aged, usually female, usually suburban, often liberal college educated. And while these days it's not nice to give any stereotype anywhere any creedance, I think it safe to say that all such stereotypes come with them at least a grain of truth.

Like other astrology enthusiasts, I read all the extant modern literature by all the "name" astrologers of our time: Hand, both Green(e)s, Forrest, Braha, Cunningham, March & McEvers, Tyl, Zondag, you name it. And so very much of it sounded so very distant to me, so far away removed from what my world looked like, sounded like, smelled like. This isn't just a statement of the "personal" - I know there are many of those same "well wishers" I spoke of earlier who are chomping at the bit to tell me that it's all in my head - but that there was a serious disconnect in what I read and what I actually saw being played out around me, in the lives of everyday working and living and breathing folks.

Many of my detractors like to pithily point out that Astrology is "blind" to such trivial mundane matters as race or class, ethnicity or sex/gender; this supposed superiority raises the astrologer above the fray of political debate and serious sociological inquiry. But again, that keen analysis falls apart in the real world, where real things happen to real people.

This is what lead me onto the path I'm now on today, that of being what I like to call a Public Astrological Intellectual.

As the name infers, I take my cue from other public intellectuals in other fields - sociology, the humanities, history, economics, politics - and apply the tools of the Astrological Academy to real life conditions being played out on the world stage, to get underneath the issues and points of view that inform us all.

I take a hard look at many of the things that so many of us here in the astrological community either just don't think about - or, and I think this is more like it - simply don't want to involved with. Take the issue of Class, for example - what does astrology, and we astrologers, have to say about that? Aren't the bulk and mass of us interested in "humanistic" pursuits? What about Sexual Politics, and the drastically shifting landscape socially, between men and women, it has left in its wake?

IS there a such thing as a "blue state/red state" divide in our ranks? Has the astrology community, both in terms of its mindset and the very real fact that so many of its adherents and "members" are women, become feminized?

Should astrologers merely be "soothsayers" - people who divine the oracle as it were, and leave it at that - or are we to be advocates for a particular cause, a certain way of life?

Like so many astrolgers who have gone on before me - Marsilio Ficino immediately comes to mind - I aim, through my writings, to take a hard look at the State of Our Art at the dawn of a new Millennium. And like Ficino, who's Saturn is prominent in his horoscope, my own drives me to ask the hard questions - and to get at some tough answers.

In the past year, I have written at length and in detail about such issues as Abortion and the seachanges afoot at the US Supreme Court; the very real issue of Class (and its close cousin, Race) with regard not only to the Katrina crisis but as well, to the question of "interdating"; I dealt with the topic of the Working Poor, of the unintended consequences of the Sexual Revolution, of the hard choices regarding the War on Terror that have to be made, perhaps the challenge of our time - only to name a few.

I took up the issue of Stanley "Tookie" Williams from a decidely different point of view, when so many other colleagues went the other way; dealt with pop cultural, and as it turns out, eternal themes by putting the "Goldigger" into astrological context, to say nothing of the treatments I gave to pop culture figures such as Dr. Phil, Terrell Owens, Ron Artest, and TV programs like "Commander in Chief".

Say what you will of me or my writings, but I think it safe to say that few if any others in our field have levelled such a close and keen astrological eye at some of the people, issues and themes of our Times, as I have.

I personally think, when I get the emails and rants from the detractors, that there is just a weebit of Hater-Aide seeping through between the lines. Afterall, I don't hesitate to stomp on toes and roll a few sacred cows on the spit. I'm uber critical of some of the most hallowed voices, ideas and concepts of the Western Modern (or Post-Modern, I should say, LOL) Astrology Movement, again much of it coming from my particular circumstance as one who does not fit the demographic, experience or worldview of the current community of astrologers, and at least of much of it coming from my intimate experience with, and knowledge of, other systems of astrological information, namely the un-retouched Vedic astrological model. I put it that way because, as has been the case with a large part of Western astrology, Vedic astrology in the West has mutated into something that many continental Indians would have trouble recognizing. I've been doing Vedic astrology since 1998, have many Indian born clients, and have NEVER once had one of them coming to me for "the meaning of life" session. Most Indian clients, in my experience, have concerns that are much more mundane and to the point. The whole business about the spiritual dimensions of Vedic astrology are at best overblown in reality, an American/Western innovation, dreamt up by and profferred to middle class White folks who have a bit too much time and/or money on their hands.

I have long held the view, that so many in our community are living in a socially, ethnically, politically, "spiritually" hermetically-sealed bubble, where they only have to come into contact with others like themselves; I have believed, and this belief is reinforced day by day, that the vast majority of my colleagues simply could not do my horoscope - that is to say, that they wouldn't be able to take the funny looking symbols looking back at them that is my chart, and be able to put it into context of what my life actually is. The reasons for this is simple, and should by now be apparent, it's because so many of my colleagues simply have no understanding of life for most African Americans. Because our community is also top-heavy (pardon the pun) with middle-aged women, many of my colleagues wouldn't know how to relate to me as a man. Because so many of my colleagues in the field are old enough to at least be my parents if not grandparents, most of them wouldn't be able to deal with topics and themes relevant to the times in which I live and have to confront. But I know I could do any one of their charts, and in fact, my experience in Astrology over the past decade and a half has borne witness to this - for every one Black client I have, I have as many White, Indian, and so on. Because of my "marginality" I'm able to see things that so many of my colleagues either can't see - or, don't want to see (take a wild guess which one I think is more true?). The "bubble" syndrome extant in our astrology community today, is something that we have to be serious about confronting if we want astrology to be around in the years ahead. Much of my writing to date has been centered around this issue.

But I guess more than anything else, I strive to make astrology meaningful and relevant to the average Joe and Josie on the set, as it were; I try to winnow away flowery talk and new-agey asides about the Arkashic Records, because for the many people whom I come into contact with, they might as well have bought a real record and played it for all the difference it would have made. The Public Astrological Intellectual works to make astrology accessible to the masses of folks, by taking matters that actually means something to said folks, and brings astrological insight to it, by applying to tools of the Astrological Academy. And yes, I do take stands on the issues - Astrology is, afterall, a Human endeavor - it means nothing if the Human is taken out of it. This is why my position has always been, that attempts to dehumanize Astrology by making such pithy remarks as "the horoscope doesn't determine male or female" are largely disengenuous and intellectually dishonest; such proponents would do better to simply say that they are in full agreement with Gay Marriage rather than to try to put the Old Jedi Mindtrick on one of their own. Mine is a rather new effort, but one that I hope to contribute something meaningful to, for the benefit of new astrologers to come.

Salaam,
Mu

Mars & Murderdelphia

Mars & Murderdelphia
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

8:34 AM 1/29/06 Sun

Well, the numbers are all in: over the past year, 2005, here in the City of Brotherly Love, there was a grand total of 385 murders, 1600 wounded, the most in a decade. With homicide rates that high, the city fathers are wringing their hands and at a feverish pace, hosting all manner of blue ribbon panels and seminars, and making the rounds of radio and TV outlets, vowing to bring the murder rate down. I don't find this as any accident, as Mars concludes its rocky transit of Taurus.

Philly is a Scorpionic town, and many of the city's highest body counts occured when Mars, in its Rx transit, opposed the Philly Sun and squared the Philly Asc, Moon-Neptune, and Jupiter-Saturn placements. Because of Mars' eventual transition into Gemini, coming soon next month, I don't think this year's murder rate will be as high. Still, what we've learned from last years numbers, puts the current Mars in Taurus transit in deadly context.

Here's the breakdown from the 2005 Philadelphia Homicide & Shooting Count:

- 80% of those shot and/or killed where Black men aged 18 to 35, by Black men of the same age

- at least half were drug related, i.e., a drug deal gone wrong

- at least half were domestically related, i.e, an argument brokeout among friends and was settled using blue steel

- virtually all those killed in the past year was due to gun violence

- African Americans make up about half of Philly's population, yet makeup the vast majority of the shootings, nearly 25% of them ending in fatalities.

As mentioned above, the city officials have been on a media offensive locally, trying to address the problem. Last week, I heard a very beleagured Police Commisioner, Sylvester Johnson explain to a panel that he cannot "arrest his way" out of the problem; that he nor his force of cops stop murders that happen in the home; or the many things that lead to crime, etc. in the first place. He almost sounded like he was pleading like a dying man for help from other quarters of the city apparatus - churches, social workers, the business sector - to aid in addressing the problem.

To a large extent, the man's gotta point - these are indeed problems that extend beyond the purview of the police - and afterall, even when you lock many of these guys up, sooner or later many of them will come out - and then what? We know that in most major inner cities, unemployment among Black males has been and remains in the high double digits for several decades (in one study done up in New York City, for example, the figure was somewhere around 50%), that singleparent (unwed mother) rates are very high as well, and hence all the problems that come with it...like crime, and ultimately, homicide.

But instead of dealing with the problem head on - like the gaping maw of fatherless homes in the Black community in the first place - the city fathers and mothers are instead looking to penalize the gun manufacturers; there is a group called "Mothers in Charge" who have parterned up with other outfits and city officials, intent on bringing the gun lobby and makers to their knees. On the face of it, the very name "Mothers in Charge" is at best misleading, if not a cruel joke - if they were indeed "in charge" there would not have been an almost 400 murder rate in the previous year, to say nothing of the over 1500 wounded by gunfire.

But of course, the 500lb gorilla in the middle of the room - the profound lack of fathers in the home - will be ignored, and groups like MIC will get center stage instead.

The past year's events in my hometown give vivid testimony to the feminist theorist's views on the family, mainly, that women, and by extension, kids, don't need dads in their lives. Philly is but one of a myriad of examples accross the nation, of what happens when you take the men and dads out of a community. Chaos, mayhem, crime and death are what replaces them.

An idle mind is the Devil's workshop, my dearly departed Mom used to say - and I don't think the saying was dreamt up with little girls in mind. Say what the theorists will about "patriarchy" and sex roles being socially prescribed, the facts of the matter are, that those 385 folks killed weren't by Rhonda, they were "murked" by Rashid. The bottomline here is that Dads in the home, fulltime, greatly reduces any Society's Knucklehead Factor. Doesn't eliminate it outright, but it does reduce it.

Mars not only represents boys and young men but also represents the police, and the recent Rx transit of Mars showed the police being swamped, in over their heads in trying to contain the gun violence. Right now, Mars is transitting the Capricorn decanate of Taurus; and, Philly's undergoing its Saturn Return as of this writing, so perhaps there's hope that the utmost importance of placing maximum priority back on men and especially dads will happen before long. Sure, cops and jobs and the like are important, but dads are and will always be, the first line of defense against wayward and dangerous young men.

"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."

- Mars Rx 2005 Wrap-Up Commentary 6:22 AM 12/14/05 Wed

Salaam,
Mu

Will The American Journalist Be Saved?

Will The American Journalist Be Saved?
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

8:00 PM 1/19/06 Thu

This was the question I posed to myself, out loud, after the matter rolled over and over in my mind; by now, surely you must have heard about the plight of Jill Carroll, the American born and bred journalist who was taken hostage on Jan 7. Her captors are an unknown group, who have announced that they will kill Carroll on Thursday, Jan 20. Kidnappings are unfortunately a very common affair these days in Iraq, and in fact, more Iraqi born citizens are kidnapped - and killed - than anyone else. Still, the current situation, in the wake of the grisly online end of American Nick Berg's life, makes the whole thing all the more difficult and painful to deal with.

According to NPR, the Iraqi government has pressured the US to release 6 of the female prisoners being held in Iraq - the key demand the kidnappers made was the immediate release of ALL female prisoners; they tally 8 in all, and no explanation was given as to the reason why the last 2 are presumably still being held, etc.

In light of these developments, the horary cast by me is interesting:
Will The American Journalist Be Saved? Thu Jan 19 2005 9.46AM EST Philadelphia PA; Placidus 21 Pis 50.

Since the Asc represents me, I take Jill Carroll, the American journalist, to be represented by the 7th. Virgo, the Sign of the Virgin/Maiden - females - is there, with its ruler Mercury, representing journalists amd ruling the 3rd House (writers and reporters again), in the Sign of Capricorn and in the 11th. All of this, plus the presence of the Moon in the 7th/Virgo at the time of the horary, suggests that the chart is radical and fit to be judged.

The chart does not look, in my view, favorable; the Moon is Void, suggesting that matters have taken their course, and that there is little that can be done. The Moon's final aspect before leaving it's Sign is to Pluto; while she moves to trine the Sun (the Iraqi authorities) the Sun changes Sign before the Moon can perfect the aspect. Therefore, the Moon-Pluto square is indeed its final aspect, and in light of the fact that Pluto rules the radical 8th House of Death...and is prominently displayed on the MC at the time of horary, it doesn't look good for Carroll.

Additionally, we can take the radical 2nd House as a derivative 8th House, also signifying death; Mars is placed there, not a good augury, and its dispositor is Venus, Rx in Capricorn. Mercury and Venus are separating from each other; they were conjunct only days ago. Past aspects indicate things or events that have already happened in the past; note also the past aspect-square between the Moon and Pluto.

I fear that Jill Carroll may have already met her fate, if not that, then very soon, by morning EST.

I surely hope that I'm wrong.

Salaam,
Mu

The Jon Corzine Era
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

6:10 AM 1/18/06 Wed

Yesterday, former Senator Jon Corzine took the Oath of Garden State's highest Office as its new Governor, handily defeating Republican challenger Doug Forrester in last November's elections.

Corzine has a tough job ahead of him, among them being, in his own words, "restoring the trust of the people" - a clear reference to the very ethically challenged tenure of former Gov. Jim McGreevey. Other challenges for the Corzine Administration include the thorny issue of property taxes, as well as the state budget; during Corzine's inaugural address, he spoke directly to these concerns, taking pains to be clear that the Garden State has considerable belt tightening to do in the days ahead.

The following is what I had to say regarding both Gov/ Corzine himself, and the electoral challenge before him on the first tuesday of November, 2005 (found both on the Pan Astrological Forum as well as my blog: muminspeaks.blogspot.com):

"This year's elections were particularly nasty, and doesn't make the Garden State look good in the wake of the former Governer Jim McGreevey's foibles. Late in this election race, commercials aired featuring Corzine's ex-wife, who stated clearly that Corzine was not only an adulterer, but also had blind amibition and was a pawn of the Jersey Democratic Party Bosses. On the other hand, allegations came out that Doug Forrester, Corzine's Republican opponent, had himself been involved in an affair. In any event, Media and Political pundits, in the wake of the elections results (in which Corzine beat Forrester by as much as 9 points) have all seemed to agree that Forrester's putting Corzine's ex-wife in those ads so late in the election, have turned off the potential voters he so desperately needed.

As we all know, Corzine is extremely wealthy; that said, Forrester is no poor boy either. Some have said that more money was spent on this governor's race than any other in the entire history of the Garden State. It is well known that Corzine, in his successful bid for the US Senate, spent more than 60 million dollars of his own money to get to Washington. So, an interesting question arises -- can Astrology give us clues as to determine wealth -- and perhaps more importantly in this case, can Astrology point to the winner in a political contest? The answer on both counts is "YES!"

"According to imdb.com, Jon Corzine was born on Jan 1 1947 in Taylorville, IL; according to Wikipedia, Doug Forrester was born on Jan 24 1953 in Glendale, CA. There is no birthtimes available for either politician. But the Solarscopes for both reveals so clearly the outcome of the elections on Nov 8.

Corzine has the following Super Aspects in operation at birth: AP=Jupiter/Pluto, Uranus in declinational aspect to Pluto; Venus conjunct Jupiter. We can also add the Solar Asc ruler, Saturn, in conjunction with the Magi designated planet of Politics, Pluto, in the Sign of leadership, Leo."

"In terms of who would win the elections, we can look at the transits and Solar Arcs operative in both charts in Nov 2005; for Corzine, he had SA Venus=Node exact in Sep, and in Nov, he had SA Venus=Sun/Pluto with transit Jupiter square Saturn (Saturn again ruling the Solar Asc). Forrester had SA Sun=Node in Oct, but he also had in the same month, SA Uranus=Neptune, a very debilitating picture suggesting weakness - and I must say, the potential for engaging in underhanded activities.

On the basis of all of this, the night before the New Jersey elections, I told the missus that while I was pulling for Forrester, the political reality of the Garden State, along with the natal and predictive astrology, strongly supported Corzine, and I expected him to win. He did."

2005 Off-Year Election Wrap-Up Analysis, by Mu'Min M. Bey; 5:18 PM 11/9/05 Wed

Corzine took the oath of office at Noon, Tue Jan 17 2005 (at Trenton; Placidus 13 Tau 38); as astrologers know, anything that is "born" at a give place and time, contains within it the qualities of same place and time, and it is these moments, be they natal (with respect to a person) or an event (such as the moment a person becomes the head of an entity) that we study closely to get a better handle on what the future times might bring. The Corzine Era, reflected in the time and place where Jon Corzine became Governor, is no different.

Whether the Corzine Era proves to be a great success or failure, it definitely will be one of the more memorable administrations: the inaugural chart has no less than three Mutual Receptions. The Sun is in Capricorn, while Saturn is in Leo; Jupiter is in Scorpio while Pluto is in Sagittarius; and Uranus is in Pisces while Neptune is in Aquarius! This is a very rare occurance indeed.

But it seems, from a close inspection of the inaugural chart, that Corzine might be headed for scandal; Neptune, the planet of political scandal, is placed above Trenton at the time Corzine took the oath.

As we've seen in both the current Bush Presidency and that of Bill Clinton's, having Neptune in the 10th at the time of the oath of office is not a desirable augury. Moreover, this Neptune squares both Mars, rising in the Taurus Asc (the people of the Garden State) and Jupiter setting in the 7th (suggesting alliances and/or challenges from other entities, perhaps other States). Although Corzine is quite wealthy, his ex-wife's allegations of his being under the thumb of the Democratic Party Machine has never been quite clearly answered, and could come back to haunt him in the years ahead.

And it seems that the loyal opposition, the New Jersey Repbulicans, will be on the case: the Moon in the inaugural chart rules the 4th in Virgo (the party out of power) and opposes Uranus (being disruptive) and quindecile Neptune (being obsessed with Corzine's activities) along the 5th-11th House axis, the State Legislature; both Corzine and the Garden State GOP will be somewhat weakened, due to gridlock over the property tax and related issues (tax cuts vs. furthering public serves, etc.; note the very important Mutual Reception between the Sun and Saturn, the Sun at the MC, Saturn Rx in the 4th).

The Neptune factor becomes even more important once you consider Corzine's natal astrology: in his Solarscope, Neptune sits right on the Solar 10th cusp, and closely square his Sun and Mars in Capricorn. The latter conjunction, along with Corzine's Saturn-Pluto conjunction, speaks to his considerable ambition (which his ex-wife corroborated in the waning days of the Gubernatorial Campaign of 2005), but the Neptune tie-ins, do raise an eyebrow.

Whether this Neptune piece will manifest in funny financial and/or ethical dealings, and/or whether they will reflect Corzine's personal romantic life, is a bit too early to tell for sure. But we do have a few clues: Corzine's Solar Asc ruling Saturn sits in the Solar 7th and conjunct Pluto; his Venus is in Scorpio (a strong signal of powerful sexual/romantic dimensions) widely conjunct Jupiter; Uranus=Venus/Mars, always a strong indice of sexual activity (and, keep in mind, that Uranus is sextile the Moon, ruler of the Solar 7th).
At present, Corzine is under his 2nd Saturn Return, always a very profound time for politicians; ambitions are realized, or flaws are highlighted. For example, President George W. Bush was reelected to a 2nd term during his 2nd Saturn Return; President Richard Nixon was forced to resign during his 2nd Saturn Return; and Prime Minister Indira Ghandi was assassinated during her 2nd Saturn Return. In Corzine's case, it could manifest itself most specifically in the area of personal relationships and/or public alliances.

A Long Range Parting Shot: if Corzine is able to get traction on his objectives over the new few years, he may find himself up against a brick wall in the year 2009, when in his inaugural chart, transit Uranus square Pluto, and transit Saturn square Pluto as well; in that same year, in his personal Solarscope, Corzine has Solar Arc Saturn=both his Sun and Neptune.

All of this takes place between Jan and Sep of that year, 2009, right around the time when, again if Corzine's first term is successful, he'll be surely on the campaign trail, seeking a 2nd term as the Garden State's highest elected Official.

Hmm...

Salaam,
Mu

The 5th House & Sexual Identity

The 5th House & Sexual Identity
mumin_bey@yahoo.com

12:50 AM 1/13/06 Fri

The other day my good friend and colleague Zamani Feelings asked me whether one could, by way of the horoscope, determine what a person's "turnons" are sexually, and asked about the 5th House in this regard. The answer of course, is YES, it can. So, with that in mind, I thought to whip up the following basic outline for the interested readers; as many of you know, I've been writing a good bit on the matter of Sexual Astrology now for at least 6 months, so the following thoughts will be a nice addition to our "notebook".

The 5th House is the primary House of Sexuality. Now, this may come as something of a shock or sound a bit odd to some of you, because we all learn early on in astrology study that it's the 8th House that most represents Sex. Well, that's only partially true - it DOES represent Sex inasmuch as speaks to that private act that occurs between two people, as well as one's potential sexual attractiveness to others and so on. But the major reason why the 8th House is so associated with Sex is due to the Sign Scorpio. You see, in the natural Zodiac, Scorpio rules the 8th, and therefore, the 8th House is automatically seen as the end all, be all of Sexuality. But it's not. It's the 5th.

Traditionally seen as the House of children, the 5th House represents Sexuality first and foremost; how one sees oneself sexually, their sexual identity; their capacity for sex, the extent of their "carnal knowledge" , their ability to enjoy sex and most importantly, what turns them on sexually. A powerful 8th can suggest to what extent the person can experience strong orgasms ("the little death") but it's the 5th overall that gives the clues into a person's sexual identity.

Whenever the 5th and 8th are interacting with each other in some way, we can reliably surmise that, one way or the other, sexuality becomes very important. In the natural distribution of Signs, notice how the 5th and 8th are always square each other; the square signifies tension, and without tension, there can be no good sex.

By the way, while I'm on this point, did you know that a strong 8th points to the strong potential of masturbation beyond the average? Just thought you might like to know, and I give credit to my friend Dave Roell of the Astrology Center of America for pointing this out.

Anyway...

Even though I've mentioned the importance of the Sexual Aspects, it's even more important to deal with the Sexual Houses, particularly the 5th. Since the Houses are the most personal components of any chart (over Signs and Aspects) the 5th will speak even more loudly than any Sexual Aspect when it comes to gauging the above mentioned things.

Insight into one's sexuality what "turns them on" can usually be seen by a careful inspection of the Sign on the 5th, its ruler, any planets in the 5th, and/or any aspects either makes to other planets within the horoscope. Experience has shown me that, in general, tenancy is a bit more important than rulership, so a planet in the 5th has more of a say than a planet ruling it, all things being equal.

But that's just me.

Although there are many dimensions to human sexuality, the following is only a brief guideline as to what to look for and expect in the sexual area via the chart and 5th House:

Aries/Mars: Impulsivity, ego-centric approach, getting right to the point, possibly being a tease; the conquest is more important than the chase

Taurus/Venus: Foreplay is important, taking one's time, etc; sexuality is usually connected to a deeper sense of commitment overall

Gemini/Mercury: The Mind is very important; thinking and talking about sex is key; perhaps the hands and/or mouth plays a strong role

Cancer/Moon: Emotional security is very, very important; lots of nuturing in the sexual style; "TLC"

Leo/Sun: Sex may be a performance(!); needing praise and accolade in sex; "style" may be important

Virgo/Mercury: Emphasis on "the little things", attention to detail, excellent technique; ettiquette and formality may prove vital

Libra/Venus: Looks are very important; observing all the niceties, "the right things"; romance may be important

Scorpio/Pluto: Raw sexual energy; possible control themes may come into play, such as S&M/BD, etc.

Sagittarius/Jupiter: Sexuality part of the overall "friendship" experience with the other; a more lighthearted approach to sex; possibility of "overdoing it", carousing, etc.

Capricorn/Saturn: Being a "late bloomer" sexually; needs to warmup; sex can be seen as "sealing the deal" in terms of relationship; can be used as a tool in an overall strategy

Aquarius/Uranus: Adventuresome approach to sex, unorthodox views regarding sex, strong ego-centered/individualistic focus; the sexual identity greatly intensified, "on fire"

Pisces/Neptune: Sex potentially subdued, or diverted somehow; erotica has strong appeal; the sublime, the surreal; romance, having a "connection"

More Guidelines
1. Any one of the Sexual Planets involved with the 5th House heightens the interest and capacity for sex, especially Pluto, the strongest of the Sexual Planets

2. Gemini or Pisces on the 5th (and/or their rulers involved with the 5th) can indicate gay or bi-sexual proclivities

3. As a general rule, Saturn and Neptune, when acting together and impacting the 5th House, greatly diminishes the sexual capacity and interest, whereas the involvement of Uranus tends to intensify capacity and interest sexually.

Again, these are just basic guidelines and are not in anyway comprehensive; one has to take into account the overall sexual index of the chart, as well as the usual chart factors, such as the Sun and Moon, and role of the Asc and its ruler, and so on.

For example, take a look at Linda Lovelace's chart: Jan 10 1949 6.23am EST Bronxville NY, Placidus 4 Cap 11. Now, Venus rules the 5th and is in Sagittarius and opposed Uranus. Right off the bat we can anticipate an intensified sexuality. Next, note that the Moon, exalted in Taurus, is in the 5th...Taurus suggests the throat, the neck. Now, when we add the midpoint picture Neptune=Venus/Mars, and factor in Neptune's rulership of the 3rd House - the hands and mouth - it all comes together. Linda Lovelace, as we all know, was immortalized in the pop-porn film classic, "Deepthroat".

Bill Clinton's life and chart are so well known, I won't even post the chart here. But it's important to point out that Uranus rules the 5th, and is under no stress at all. Put that together with his triple conjunction of Venus, Mars and Neptune all in the 1st House Libra Asc, and again it all becomes very clear. Here is a man who has a very strong sexuality; excitement and "the chase" has strong appeal.

Hillary Clinton's chart says the exact opposite, and putting her together with Bill, we get a classic sexual mismatch: while she has Venus in Scorpio, one of the most sexually powerful Sign placements a Venus can have, and also square Mars and Pluto, it's also conjunct a Rx Mercury and square Saturn to boot. Moreover, Venus is in the 12th House, a very difficult placement for Venus in a Western chart. Now, Mars rules Hillary's 5th - yet, there is nothing remotely suggesting that she exhibits an Arian flavor in her sexual identity, indeed if anything, it's the exact opposite, what with the Saturn and Mercury Rx involvement.

Monica Lewinsky, on the other hand, is a whole different story, as the reality clearly shows: Uranus rules the 5th, as in Bill Clinton's case, and like Clinton, she too has a Libran Asc. Uranus rises in the Asc and is opposed by Mars in Aries in the 7th (raw sexuality "in your face"). From the thongs showing in plain view so President Clinton could see it, to the remark about "getting her Presidential kneepads" once you take a look at this lady's chart, it really says it all.

I've talked about Chessie Moore's chart before; she's a very well known "big bust pornstar" who manages her own website and produces her own line of very hardcore sex DVDs. Her data, according to her site, is Sep 8 1959 1AM MST Denver CO; Placidus 19 Can 47. Now, take a look at her 5th: Scorpio is on the 5th, so we get the vibe of "hardcore" - intense sexuality, raw animalistic magnetism, etc. Asc ruling Moon is in the 5th and conjunct Jupiter (recall what I said earlier about Sagittarius and/or Jupiter involved with the 5th, and the "overdoing it" vibe), both in Scorpio. Next, note that Pluto which rules the 5th, is conjunct Venus in Virgo, and both conjunct Mercury all in the 3rd - the internet, magazines and print media, as well as the hands and once again, the mouth.

Jack Nicholson is another example of Scorpio on the 5th raw sexual intensity: Apr 22 1937 11.20am EST Neptune NJ; Placidus 5 Leo 41. The Sun, which rules the Asc, square Pluto accross the signline, and Pluto is also in aspect to the Moon; in other words, Nicholson's sexuality is tied into the core of his being. Note too that Pluto is square Venus and holds Mars in the 5th...this is a very, very sexual horoscope, there's no doubt about it.

Recently, I was reading some comments by some other astrologers online about fashion runway/Victoria's Secret Model turned TV talkshow host Tyra Banks: Dec 4 1973 7.13PM PST Los Angeles CA; Placidus 18 Can 10. Again, Scorpio is on the 5th, with Mercury in Scorpio, and a Sun-Neptune conjunction in the 5th as well. Banks' entire career to date has been built on the notion of sexuality, particularly erotica, through the Victoria's Secret promotional campaigns. Note the very strong complex of Venus in square to the Mars-Uranus axis, running along the 4-10 House axis. Note also, very important here, that Pluto, again, ruler of the 5th, is opposed the Asc ruling Moon in Aries. This is ego-powered sexuality here, the tease for real. The reason why I say "the tease" is because of the difficult Venus placement, in Capricorn; and the Neptune factor in the 5th, again suggesting an "other than it seems" vibe. To the world Banks is a sex kitten, but there's every reason to suspect that may not be the case at all in real life.

The very name, "Marvin Gaye" is associated with sensuality, with sexuality; who hasn't made out to songs like "Sexual Healing", "Let's Get It On", or maybe, "You Sure Know How To Ball", etc. Gaye was born on Apr 2 1939 11.58am EST in Washington, DC; Placidus 24 Can 04. Once again, Scorpio is on the 5th, and Pluto is rising in the Asc and Peregrine (Tyl), running wild, dominating the entire chart, the personality. Pluto is disposed by the Moon, which, as in the case of both Nicholson, Moore and to a lesser extent Banks, ties itself into the core of Gaye's being. The Moon is conjunct Neptune both in Virgo...the drugs, the erotica...and the Virgo reference here, undeniably speaks to Gaye's obssession with his second wife, Janis, who was much younger than he when they first met. Virgo represents the young maiden, the girl. It's also interesting to point out that Gaye had Venus in Pisces in close sextile aspect to Mars in Capricorn - both planets are classically exalted. Hmm.

The Porn actress Nina Hartley is so well known, she even has a "how to" series of videos available to couples who wish to, ah, "upgrade" their bedroom skills. She was born on Mar 11 1961 11.45pm PST in Oaklamd CA; Placidus 29 Sco 31. Adventuresome Aries is on the 5th, with its ruler Mars in Cancer in the 8th, exactly sextile Pluto and quindecile the Moon, ruler of the 8th. Mars disposes and holds Venus in the 5th, and the Moon in turn disposes and holds Mars. This is a powerful 5th House tie-in, and we can note than among the "how to" vids Hartley has done, was an anal sex vid "tutorial". Mars and especially Pluto, represents that region of the body.

The above examples were not specific cases chosen by me beforehand but rather random cases just to illustrate how one can assess the 5th House and one's Sexual Identity. And again, I claim no comprehensivness, but rather, only to claim a degree of clarity on the question. I welcome and encourage any and all feedback, questions, comments, insights and most importantly, your own observations from your own study of horoscopes in this area. Human sexuality is a complex subject, but one with which we all have to deal and contend with, particularly in our times, where expectations are so high.

That's it.

Salaam,Mu

Jack Abramoff & The So-Called "Culture Of Corruption" - Shari

Jack Abramoff & The So-Called "Culture Of Corruption"

IMPORTANT NOTE: The following is in response to a recent post on the issue by my astro-colleague Shari Niemec. I haven't posted her original letter on the issue, but you can get the gist of what was going on from my response below.

6:56 AM 1/5/06 Thu

Hi Shari, Listers,

Yes, I recall well your "Holy Mackerel" post sometime back and your thoughts regarding Abramoff.

There's no defending his actions in the least: his racism toward Native Americans, his corruption and fraud, you name it. That he was/is an observant Jew, i.e. a religious man just makes it all the more worse. It is wholly appropriate that Abramoff be punished for his crimes.

As you and others well know, there has been much made of the the "culture of corruption" regarding the GOP in recent months; indeed, it is rare to find an astrologer, Shari, that is NOT joining in the "piling on" that is taking place now. From Scooter Libby, to Tom Delay, to Abramoff to the NSA "scandal" and so on, just about every astrologer in the American culture with a computer and a finger, are smacking their lips and salivating at the prospect of the GOP being toppled from power.

But I'm not so sure that will happen; not only that, but, and I think you would agree, that the vast majority of astrologers out there are strongly partisan to the Left, in ways that really makes me question their ability to be astrologically objective and intellectually honest; how many times have I read "analyses" from astrologers regarding Bush and his electoral victories - that he would lose? Kerry was supposed to win hands down, right? So was Gore. Yet Bush beat them both. OK, I can go along with the possibility that he could have gotten over the first time around. But the second time around, Bush won - and, keep in mind, I belong to that so-called "disenfranchised voter" group that some astrologers and other lefties rail on about, that we were kept from voting, hence, the reason why Kerry couldn't win, especially out in Ohio. BS. The reality was, the Kerry did a good job of distancing himself from the key Democratic voting bloc, which is African Americans, handing off the job to the Usual Suspects to do the dirty work for him. He alienated guys like me, who came up in the years AFTER the Civil Rights Movement; he didn't embrace the Puffys, and the Russell Simmons, and the other significant voices from my generation, OPENLY embrace them, for all the world to see. He didn't do that, because he was trying to appeal to the middle class, and we all know what he meant by that, don't we? Unlike the GOP, who proved since Reagan that they could win with minimal to no Black electoral support, the Democrats CAN'T WIN without Black folks. And the whole Civil Rights deal is getting tired. Nobody kept me from voting, as is the case with the vast majority of Black folks accross the country; the deal is, that Kerry just couldn't get the job done, not with Black folks, and not with White suburban soccer moms, either.

And it astrologically showed, too. I wrote an extensive Vedic piece to that effect, it's on my site, check it out. 9 months before the elections of 04.

And please, don't get me started on the Iraq War/War on Terror; I mean, I don't want the facts to get in the way of my astro-colleagues delusions of granduer. Oh, what the heck: the Iraqi people have voted 3 times within the past year, the third time around with maximum support from the most disruptive group, the Sunnis. In Afghanistan, free elections have gone down there as well - and while I'm on that point, let me also point out the fact that the Bush administration has actually done something about the abmyssmal state of affairs regarding women in Afghanistan, by first removing the Taliban from power and second seeing to it that women are involved in the free electoral process. Since so many in our community of astrologers are devout feminists, why aren't they celebrating that? Could it have ANYTHING to do with the fact that they just don't like Bush??? In both countries, reports of violence are on the wane. We know for a fact that Al-Qaeda is a shadow of its former self, still lethal, but much less able to do damage here or anywhere else in the world - even Al-Qaeda's Number Two man, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, said in a letter to Abu Musab Al-Zawqari, that they needed to win in Iraq and to STOP BEHEADING FOLKS. Far from perfect yes, but progress HAS been made. And in both cases, poll after poll clearly indicates that the Iraqi and Afghan peoples want continued US support until they are able to go it alone. Here at home, there has not been any terrorist attack since Sep 11, which tells me, that for all his faults, real or perceived, Bush has to be doing something right. Musharraf of Pakistan risks his life day in and day out in support of the US' War on Terror; so are the leaders of other Islamic nations, such as Turkey, Indonesia, Jordan and Egypt. These are the FACTS, Shari. And it would be nice for those of us on the Left to if nothing else, give credit where it's due.

The reality here, Shari, going back to Abramoff and so on, is that there is BIG MONEY in gov't, we all know that; from the low level civil servant to city level patronage jobs, to the Senate and beyond. Everyone knows that, and guess what - BOTH PARTIES do it. While all the yammering is going on right now regarding the GOP, I don't recall the equal amount of rancor when Rostenkowski and Co. were busted - and he did as much as Abramoff. Indeed, there were all kinds of corruption scandals in the 40-plus years of Democratic Party control of Federal Government. Now, what's my point here? My point is that old phrase about power corrupting, and absolute power courrupting absolutely; and BOTH parties are subject to that corruption.

You're a Jersey Girl; what about McGreevey, and now, Jon Corzine? Heck, we all know that Corzine bought himself a seat on the US Senate, and now has bought a Governorship; that's why Dick Codey couldn't run, because he didn't have the moola (And I'll have more to say about Corzine in due course). And Forrester had big bucks too, and I don't believe for a minute that both men didn't have their hands just a wee bit dirty. And, we can throw in guys like Frank Lautenberg (who has big money too) and Dick "Torch" Torricelli, the latter of whom got caught cold busted and had to step down. Trenton is world reknown for corruption all day, and New Jersey is a stomp-down Democratic State too, so let's get real.

So, please, let's get off this whole "culture of corruption" piece regarding the GOP, OK? It all really sounds like sour grapes - "hatin'" - to me.

Anyway...back to Abramoff's astrology...

Yea, his Western Solarscope really says it all; it's the rare case where you don't even need a birthtime: transit Uranus applying conjunction to his Mercury and Sun, with Uranus ruling the Solar 12th, prison; transit Pluto conjunct his Solar 10th House Saturn, a great loss from power, shame before the world; transit Saturn conjunct Uranus, again Uranus ruling the Solar 12th, getting the kabash put on him. Note too, his natal Venus at the same degree and Sign that Venus was right before it went Rx, AND transit Uranus conjunct the ruler of the Solar 7th. Could be that he loses his wife behind all this too. There's really no need to go to the Solar Arcs or midpoints (although Abramoff's AP=Jupiter/Pluto IS very, very significant and important - big money), the basic transits, again, applied to an untimed Solar chart, says it all.

Parting shot: Bush's 2nd Inaugural Chart features Neptune in the 10th House; this was the case with his 1st inaugural as well, in fact in that case, Neptune was conjunct the Sun, and this accounted for what many suspected was the dubious nature of his first election. Anyway, with Neptune in the 10th House here, we can expect more secrets being outed, as well as more scandals coming to light in one way or the other. Neptune rules the 12th, and sextile Mars which co-rules the same. So there could be more stuff coming out about how Bush & Co. are fighting the War on Terror. Personally, I think what the NYT and other media outlets are doing is injurious to the nation in the longrun.

But that's another story.

Holla back!

Salaam,Mu