Astral Weeks August 19-25: How Do You Spell "Relief?" Mercury Direct & Sun Enters Virgo

Astral Weeks

August 19-25

When you wake up Sunday morning, you’ll find Mercury has stationed Direct after his long Retrograde in Leo (since July 25^th). Start your day feeling positive with the Moon in jovial Sagittarius, and if you want to go the real feel-good route, Jupiter in Scorpio’s Trine to Neptune in Pisces will give you all the watery lubrication you need. Overindulgence in food and especially drink is a possibility: take a ride share service or party at home! Hydration is the key to avoiding a hangover, and you’ll want to avoid that because the short-lived party winds down as the Moon enters hard-working, responsible Capricorn on Monday evening, spurring you on to clean up your act and get on with the show. You can be proud of any hard-won achievements Tuesday as the Sun at 29 degrees Leo says a dramatic farewell and takes his final curtain calls, bowing out (not without encores), and introducing Sun in Virgo, enter stage right, Wednesday evening. 

The Moon enters radical, futuristic Aquarius Thursday morning, making a conjunction to Retrograde Mars and sparking strong emotional energy centered on universal issues of humanitarianism and community. Moon in Aquarius opposite Mercury in Leo on Friday pits the feelings of the collective against the voice of the individual, perhaps in a very public way.  

Saturday is Shabbat Parshat Ki Teitzei, the Sun in Virgo making a hard Trine to Uranus in Taurus in the morning and another Trine to Saturn in Capricorn in the afternoon. All three Earth signs involved in these transiting Trines, calling us to ground ourselves in the loamy soil of Mother Earth and remember the common soil of our shared humanity. The Moon moves into dreamy, imaginative Pisces late Saturday evening, preparing for the Full Moon at 3 degrees Pisces on the morning of August 26^th.

Wishing everybody everywhere a great week, and may our Creator’s celestial luminaries be lights along the way!

#Aretha: Respect for The Queen of Soul

Aretha Franklin, the “Queen of Soul” died today at 76. As tributes to her amazing talent and groundbreaking accomplishments pour in from around the world, it is fitting we take a moment to examine her natal chart and ask ourselves if it can give us any insights into this legendary woman who has inspired so many for so long.

Aretha was an Aries with Scorpio Rising, making Mars and Pluto her ruling planets (Mars rules Scorpio in Classical astrology, while Pluto is the Modern ruler). Aretha’s natal Mars is at 11 degrees Gemini in her 7^th House, conjunct both Black Moon Lilith and Jupiter. This expands, enhances and enlarges (Jupiter) her raw energy (Mars) and her inner image of herself as a sexual woman (Black Moon Lilith). Mars is Chi, the Life-Force, the “Yetzer” (neither tov nor rah, but simply the raw life force/impetus to desire), the drive that propels any human onward. 

Aretha Franklin, Natal Chart with Transits for 8.16.18

Aretha’s chart co-ruler Pluto is at 3 Leo, conjunct her Parts of Fortune (the way shefa or material blessings enter one’s life) and Chiron (the “Wounded Healer”) in her 9^th House. Channeling our collective pain brings healing, and for all her tremendous Mars/Pluto power, nobody could channel vulnerability, longing, and the poignancy of loss and loneliness combined with raw strength like Aretha. An example of this can be heard in her cover of Leon Russel’s “A Song for You,” and “It Hurts Like Hell” from the “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack, and many more.

The Essential Loneliness of The Powerful Woman

Yet it is Aretha’s tender, sensitive, maternal, nurturing, emotionally hungry Moon in Cancer on the cusp of her 8^th/9^th House tells of a woman enduring a tremendous range of emotional ups and downs in her relations with “others” – the things she shared and longed to share, the values and valuables, resources and intimacies, spiritual and religious feelings and beliefs, and philosophy of life. She wanted it all and deserved it all, but never got it all at once or all from the same person. Saturn and Uranus conjunct in Taurus in her 7^th House made her too strong in the eyes of any partner, Mars in Gemini in her 7^th House made her too mercurial and too powerful in ANY of her multiple selves as a partner – she was powerful as a woman, a lover, a cook, a gourmand, a hostess, a performer, a private giver of charity, a businesswoman. In each and every permutation her strength and power, competency and brilliance were barriers for the average man, who could only glimpse her most tender, passionate, intense, private longings. 

Private, Passionate, and Powerful
 
Her Sun in Mars-ruled Aries in her 5^th House of Creativity and Creations and Children made her fearless, a pioneer and a leader in every creative endeavor (and an unwed teenage mother). Scorpio Rising made her intensely private and protective of her personal life and her possessions. Today on MSNBC I heard a lifelong friend tell of how Aretha insisted until the end in being paid in cash, which she’d put into a purse and place in the safekeeping of a friend in the audience, where she could see her money as she performed, as she’d been ripped off and robbed so many times when first starting out in show business.

Aretha with Transits and Progressions for 8.16.18

Where did she get THAT VOICE? Aretha’s natal Mercury in Pisces in her 4^th House of Home and Family was exactly opposite her North Node, indicator of “tikkun” or destiny, in Virgo in her 10^th (Public Persona of Career & Business) House. It was her soul’s job (North Node) to publicly (10^th House) and perfectly (Virgo) communicate (Mercury) eternal and transcendent truths (Pisces), truths which she learned in her home environment (4^th House) and expressed in her career persona (10^th House). Venus, the planet of creativity, at 20 degrees Aquarius, was conjunct her 3^rd / 4^th House cusp. Her creativity came from the convergence of communication (3^rd House) and the values and lessons of “home” (4^th House). Venus in Aquarius is universal love – she didn’t reserve her love or her talent for only those things that came from “home” – her repertoire extended to genres far outside the gospel choir or the native sounds of the Motor City, Detroit, where she grew up. Her roots were in church and in soul and gospel, but her fruits were universal.

Symbolism of Passing In and Out of This Incarnation

Aretha Franklin dies as the transiting Moon entered Scorpio in her 12^th House (endings), transiting Chiron conjunct her natal Sun in Aries, transiting Jupiter (expansion) conjunct her Ascendant (personality) at 15 Scorpio, giganticising her presence in media in death even as she did in life, and her Progressed Moon at 14 Taurus conjunct her Progressed IC (4^th House Cusp) – in death she truly was “coming home” to the “seat of her soul” (4^th House). 

A woman of deep faith who grew up in her father’s church, Aretha’s chart co-ruler Pluto conjunct Parts of Fortune and Chiron in her 9^th House indicated the roots of her faith. 9^th House is the “higher mind,” long-distance travel, religion and philosophy, higher education, “exotic” or “foreign” people places and things. Pluto is the planet of profound transformation: death and rebirth, the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes, resurrection of the dead. Chiron, the “Wounded Healer,” is where we take the wound life has delivered us and learn to heal ourselves by healing others bearing the same wound. Parts of Fortune, the cosmic opening or shefa-conduit of blessing from beyond, is deeply connected to both Chiron and Pluto here. Her special gift of connecting to collective deep emotions (Moon in Cancer / 8^th House) and manifesting them in her art brought healing (Chiron), emotional and spiritual abundance (Parts of Fortune) and transformative, life-changing power to people all over the world (9^th House).

August 16th - The Day The King AND The Queen Passed On

Finally, it’s impossible to ignore the time/space continuum calendrical convergence of the day of passing of Elvis (“The King) Presley on this same date – August 16^th – 41 years ago. The Sun was at 23 degrees of Leo on August 16, 1977, the day Elvis left the building, just as it is today. 

The Sabian Symbols interprets 23 Leo as: 

"IN A CIRCUS THE BAREBACK RIDER DISPLAYS HER DANGEROUS SKILL. KEYNOTE: The audacity and perseverance required to control and play with the powerful energies of the vital realm in human existence. The horse has always been the symbol of the vital energies. In a wild state the horse represents the magnificent, raw, impetuous energy of the libido in all its forms. When tamed, this energy is put to man’s service. There are men who have dominated their natural energies so well that they can perform spectacular feats. Here these achievements are seen within the context of a social function and expressing a flair for dramatics. At this third stage, the ego is in control; he is a great showman, but he serves a purpose. The performance stirs the imagination of the young consciousness. It raises the mind above the commonplace. The Keyword is VIRTUOSITY."

For those who aren't familiar with the Sabian Symbols, they're an oracle meditation downloaded in a single day in 1925 to Marc Edmund Jones and Elsie Wheeler. They contain symbolic pictures for all 360 degrees of the Zodiac. I sometimes look at their symbolism to get a subtler take on certain Zodiac degrees, and in the case of such gigantic luminaries (no pun intended!), the KING (Elvis) and the QUEEN (Aretha) both exiting their bodies on the same day, it's an interesting perspective to begin to understand the particular energies of the day.

Significance of the Hebrew Calendar / Cycle of Sacred Time

In the Hebrew calendar, Elvis died on 2 Elul, and Aretha died today which is 5 Elul, they both died the week of Parshat Shoftim. Elvis died on a Tuesday which is the 3rd Aliyah of Shoftim, and Aretha on Thursday which is the 5th Aliyah. 3rd Aliyah: The kohanim as G*d's holy servants, who do not receive a portion of the Land because HaShem is their portion. 5th Aliyah: Cities of Refuge!

16 August / 23 Leo is also the birthday of both Madonna and Shimon Peres, as well as the Solar yartzeit (day of passing) of Babe Ruth, “Gone With The Wind” author and unsurpassed publishing sensation Margaret Mitchell, and one who made himself a (despotic) king: Idi Amin.

There is something about 23 Leo which seems to manifest as legendary/superstardom. Not just because Leo which is the theatrical performer of the Zodiac, but this particular degree of Leo. The Sabian Symbol keyword “Virtuosity” seems more than fitting here.

There is much to say about Aretha – but now let’s let her say for herself. Today she’s met her Maker, and may it be the happiest day for her soul. Her memory, music, and legacy will live with us forever. Aretha: you’ve been a legend in your own time, and now you’re immortal, forever the brightest star in the firmament – RESPECT!

Omarosa and Trump: When Narcissists Collide

I knew this picture of me and Omarosa Manigault, taken at the 2004 Democratic Convention in Boston, would come in handy one day. Today's the day when a 14 year old selfie-worthy random celebrity citing can be used as click bait to draw readers to examine the natal chart of Omarosa, currently in the news for secretly recording conversations in the White House during her tenure as Communications Director. We'll also look at a Synastry Chart between Omarosa and Donald Trump, and try to understand their weird relationship and what each of them got out of it before it went irreparably sour. 

Omarosa has an interesting natal chart. Her Libra Rising gives her charm, made all the more powerful by Pluto conjunct her Ascendant. Venus, her chart ruler (remember the ruling planet of any natal chart is the ruler of the zodiac sign on the Ascendant) in Capricorn in her 4th House reveals a practical, materialistic, luxury-loving individual who, while tending to conceal her true feelings as well as the truly personal aspects of her life, nevertheless requires the spotlight - Moon in Leo in her 10th House, which is the astrological signature for emotional need to be in the public eye. This aspect also makes her a performer, an actor, and with Pluto conjunct her Libra Rising, a power-seeker. 

The tight stellium in her 7th House in Aries of Asteroid Lilith, Chiron, Vertex and Parts of Fortune symbolizes the aggressive (Aries) nature of her relationships with others. She is either perceived as the aggressive, "pushy" one - or, the other in the relationship embodies those qualities. Having marketed herself as a villain during her Reality Television rise, she leveraged her natural powers to rise higher and higher, despite being "fired" a number of times from these television scenarios. I write "fired" in air quotes because what might be perceived as setbacks by outside observers are only "career segues" to this ambitious woman. Her incredibly persistent Mars in Taurus in her 8th House (shared values/valuables/resources/intimacies) does not recognize the concept of failure, and will endure far beyond the current scandal. Don't cry for her now, Argentina. 

This woman is a true survivor. But is she a liar?

Illusion-making Neptune in 3rd House Sagittarius makes a supportive Trine to her 7th House stellium, distorting (Neptune) communication (3rd House) to fit the agenda of the "partner" (7th House). Neptune in the 3rd House is also a signature for, shall we say, someone with tremendous dreams and/or a tremendous imagination. Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius adds the exaggeration factor (nobody with a 3rd House in Sagittarius gets through 24 hours without superlatives). Being a people-pleasing control freak drama queen aspiring celebrity isn't a crime. Neither is being a spin doctor, or a chronic exaggerator. But when the day comes when a personality such as this wants to be taken seriously and believed for telling the truth, it should come as no surprise that the media is skeptical. Mercury in Neptune-ruled Pisces in her 5th House of creativity squares her 3rd House Neptune in Sagittarius. Let's remember that in Classical Astrology, Jupiter is the co-ruler of both Sagittarius and Pisces. This understanding flavors her Mercury placement, both by Sign and by House, as one which has a fluid understanding of "truth" and "reality" - fluid because it changes according to her need for power (Pluto conjunct AC in Libra). Libra is sometimes called "the iron fist in the velvet glove," and not for naught. Beauty, charm, diplomacy, persuasiveness, likeability, "niceness" - all these tools are wielded with great power by this compelling personality, all the while her Aries stellium across the way in her 7th House broadcasting the subtext of her energy, which reads: "I'm out to get you, because A) You hurt me (Chiron in Aries), B) Getting you gets me paid (Parts of Fortune in 7th House), C) I know I always make the same self-defeating mistakes but I'm going to do it anyway (Vertex conjunct Parts of Fortune and Chiron), and D) I'm going to play the victim / female card to prove to the world that it's all your fault, not mine (Asteroid Lilith conjunct Chiron, Vertex and Parts of Fortune in 7th House).

So - how does someone like Omarosa end up with a mentor like Donald Trump? And what does he get out of a relationship with a person like Omarosa?

 
 This Synastry chart between Omarosa and Trump reveals a really crazy mutual need. The first thing we notice is Trump's Neptune (his planet of illusion/delusion) is conjunct Omarosa's Pluto! This clearly indicates that he does not have any actual gauge on the reality of their relationship (ironic, as they're initially related because of "reality" television show!). Her Pluto craves power, and his Neptune promises (hints, intimates, teases, etc.) what she desires. His Asteroid Ceres is conjunct her Sun in Aquarius.  Ceres indicates a parental role - it's the archetype of the mother who literally goes to hell and back to save her daughter. Ceres is where we act as a "savior" and nurturer. Clearly Donald Trump felt, for good reason, that Omarosa was his protege and his "child" who he rescued from obscurity (public anonymity being equivalent to "hell" for both Trump and Omarosa, both limelight seekers). 
Trump's Venus in Cancer is exactly opposite Omarosa's Venus in Capricorn. Trump may indeed feel actually hurt at Omarosa's betrayal, as this aspect reveals that, in a weird way, Trump felt he was her "father" - he "begat" her as a celebrity - without him, she'd never have made it on to television - at least that's how he perceives it.  When his illusion-making Neptune moves aside long enough for him to glimpse reality (which is a rare occurrence), he grasps that while he believed himself to be acting magnanimously towards Omarosa by employing her, she was using him for her own advancement. This hurts him even though he was using her for his own advancement, as his trophy negro (is that a term?), the token African-American female ("a two-fer!") in Trump's very white White House.

Finally, the not-close but still relevant conjunction of Omarosa's natal Saturn in Gemini with Trump's natal Sun in Gemini gives us a glimpse of perhaps the weirdest part of their dynamic: Omarosa's role as a teacher/tutor/"elder" to Trump. Despite the obvious opposite dynamics (she's a younger black woman, he's an older white man), his relationship with Omarosa gave Trump the feeling of being taught or tutored in some way by her. Did he feel he was getting a crash course in Black America by making her one of his White House entourage?

Perhaps the biggest difference between Trump's lies and Omarosa's habitual distortion of truth to fit whatever benefits her current situation requires is that Trump is completely convinced his lies are truth, and Omarosa isn't that stupid.  

When two celebrity narcissists battle it out in public as to who is the bigger liar, the only winners here are the astrologers, who can spend hours pick apart this overblown tempest in a tea pot. I'm sure other astrologers are writing their takes on this right now as well. But how many of them have a picture of themselves with Omarosa? Oh yeah, just me - because (full disclosure) I too have a natal Moon in Leo in my 10th House (conjunct Uranus), and I know a little something about spotlight-seeking. :)