day of reckoning and beyond

the november 2004 forecast

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uranus is retrograde.

mercury trines saturn	27°18' scorpio/cancer	november 2
mercury enters sagittarius	0°00' sagittarius	november 4
venus conjoins jupiter	8°33' libra	november 4
mercury squares uranus	2°53' sagittarius/pisces	november 6
mars squares saturn (sr)	27°20' libra/cancer	november 6
saturn begins backward motion(stationary retrograde)	27°20' cancer	november 7
venus trine neptune	12°40' libra/aquarius	november 8
mars enters scorpio	0°00' scorpio	november 10
mercury sextiles jupiter	9°51' sagittarius/libra	november 11
uranus returns to forward motion (stationary direct)	2°53' pisces	november 11
new moon	20°33' scorpio	november 12
mars conjoins the lunar south node (transiting eclipse point)	0°56' scorpio	november 12
mars trines uranus	2°53' scorpio/pisces	november 15
venus squares chiron	22°04' libra/capricorn	november 15
venus squares saturn	27°12' libra/cancer	november 19
mercury conjoins pluto (1st of 3)	21°13' sagittarius	november 20
sun enters sagittarius	0°00' sagittarius	november 21
venus enters scorpio	0°00' scorpio	november 22
venus conjoins the lunar south node (transiting eclipse point)	0°24' scorpio	november 22
full moon	4°55' sagittarius/gemini	november 26
jupiter trines neptune (1st of 3)	12°58' libra/aquarius	november 29
mercury begins backward motion (stationary retrograde)	26°01' libra/capricorn	november 30
mars squares neptune	13°00' scorpio/aquarius	november 30

all dates are based on pacific time.

although the planets’ interactions are unequivocal in their presence, the fine art of interpretation is more a work in progress than a completed canvas. we can be acutely and accurately aware of the significant contacts that will presage the outcome of something like an election, but we may not be so sure of what they mean. so, here are the contacts and the debate that rages in my head about them:

the october eclipses

what does an eclipse mean? conventional astrological wisdom states that an eclipse, any eclipse whether lunar or solar, highlights and expands the effect of a planet it touches. if this is true, then bush should be a shoo-in: his jupiter, the “great benefic”, is exactly contacted by the solar eclipse on october 13. in addition, he is about to go through a jupiter return, which usually confers honors and successes. this is nearly simultaneous to his saturn return, which puts a focus on his ability to take responsibility. the moon, representing the public, will be in his sun sign of cancer on election day. but what is the flip side of this?

my studies of eclipses have told me that the manifest events that we associate with eclipses occur on the lunar eclipses. every eclipse event that i examined occurred on the lunar rather than the solar eclipse. the solar eclipses in contrast were associated with the nadir or dark point of a situation. this perspective on eclipses — the darkening aspect — has been noted by both the babylonians and the chinese. in the chinese i ching, there is a hexagram that is specifically about an eclipse, referring to its darkening and suppressing influence. if the final debate, which occurred as the eclipse was transpiring, is any indicator, this will be true. bush was unable to directly and effectively answer many of the questions posed to him.

this election will be a test case for the theory of solar eclipses, because the lunar eclipse does not favor bush unambiguously. if bush wins, it will indicate to me that solar eclipses serve to brighten rather than darken the points they contact.

the solar eclipse supports kerry’s chart, with the eclipse-chart stellium (planetary grouping) in libra trining kerry’s gemini stellium. since the eclipse-point trine happens across the heavens from the natal stellium, they are allowed to shine more brightly, just as stars shine more brightly in a sky that is darkened by an eclipse. so kerry’s measured and intelligent approach (gemini) were allowed to shine through at the last debate.

the lunar eclipse

on october 27, a lunar eclipse activates our lives. this may be more significant to showing what is “highlighted” in the candidates’ charts and so indicate the outcome of the election through externalized events rather than internalized challenges. this eclipse stimulates challenges in bush’s life (a square to his asc/dsc). the asc of the eclipse is conjoined to his saturn, highlighting his leadership ability (or lack thereof). kerry’s chart is directly contacted in a harmonious way, the lunar eclipse conjoining his venus. remember, the lunar eclipse activates rather than darkens. this is likely to highlight his wife and daughters, certainly, but also to create “happiness” in his world.

saturn is a funny beast. it makes us vulnerable where we need to be vulnerable, but it reveals our strengths if we have cultivated a responsible approach to life. saturn can bring a pinnacle or a low point, but nothing in between. it completely mirrors our ability to face obstacles and weaknesses, admit our mistakes and condone for them. now, sometimes we have to read more of the story than the saturn chapter to see why success occurs in the face of appalling inadequacies, but if saturn is doing its job, it seems that w. will experience his comeuppance as a result of this eclipse. it is clear to me that the onus of bush’s gamble in iraq will fall squarely on his shoulders. this is related to the fact that, while saturn sits on his asc (the leader/responsible party), chiron is on his dsc (the wounded of other nations, which would include not just iraq but the whole world in terms of how low the world’s safety and economy have been laid by the war), and mars squares them both (the war). however, we know that a strong saturn contact is required in the chart of anyone who wins the presidency, so there are contradictory viewpoints on this from within astrology itself.

my best conclusion is that this eclipse favors kerry as well. the saturn-chiron-mars t-square does not hit him directly — he will not be burdened by any blame for the war. furthermore, jupiter is just over a degree past his mc, a victor’s transit. while jupiter often promises more than it delivers, this is certainly not a bad transit to be under at the time of a battle you want to win. what about saturn for him? saturn does not make a strong aspect to his chart, but his own saturn receives a supportive trine from mars.

on the whole, bush’s chart is more strongly affected by this eclipse. it puts him in the hot seat, but it does not mean he will win, in my opinion.

election day and the candidates

as i have said before, election day does not offer us a distinct chart that we can use for astrological forecasting. the time the polls open varies, especially this year where the polls opened in 19 states prior to “election day”. the early polling days should support kerry more, much as the debate planets swung kerry’s way, because of the strong support he receives from libra’s stellium.

on and just prior to election day, we can expect fear messages to be broadcast from pro-bush sources, including the administration, because people who are afraid will be less likely to vote for change. the public will be represented by the moon in cancer on election day. this suggests that fear and the need for comfort will play a major role in which box is ticked by each elector. however, this can go both ways. are people more afraid of bush, his cronies, and his policies or terrorism? are they more afraid of losing their job (more likely not getting one) and of their children going to fight in a prolonged conflict? the moon is magnetic, and it will attract votes to bush.

complicating this factor is the new masses of registered voters. this is a uranian influence, representing a wild-card, unexpected factor in the race. these new registrants are more likely to vote for kerry, especially in critical swing states like ohio and michigan. uranus trines kerry’s venus, confirming the notion that he will receive a boost from this new electorate, perhaps the boost that counts, since the eclipse point rested on venus on october 27.

            what is interesting to me in this regard is that at the time the polls close (cast for washington dc), the north node (eclipse point) is at the top of the chart (representing the triumph of the new and unknown over the old and familiar), suggesting that these new registrants and their votes may be enough to swing us into new territory in the form of a new president.

the inauguration

the inaugural chart, which should be unambiguous in showing who in front of the cameras and who is watching from home, has triggers to all four candidates’ charts. since bush and cheney will undeniably be there, this suggests that kerry-edwards wins the election.

uncertainty

despite these factors, any good sports astrologer would tell you that the upstart needs incredibly good contacts to beat the home team. since the same rules apply in electoral as in sports contests, this could put kerry’s ability to win in doubt. however, so much relies on the interpretation of the salient planetary events. how will the solar eclipse work? how will saturn’s energy be felt?

ultimately it comes down to how the electorate does with the same lessons that george w. bush faces — the saturn issue. what did the population learn from the last four years? how much have the media brainwashed the people — how much have they learned to engage in critical thinking in spite of the pro-conservative slant of fox and other networks?

will the election be fair?

the ballots of an election are ruled by mercury. mercury is much better off than it was at the 2000 election, where it was in an extremely rare and difficult position. in the 2000 and 2002 elections, dirty tricks ruled the day in some areas. for instance, a “get out the vote” drive by democratic headquarters in one state was stymied by the prime-time jamming of the phone lines by republican dirty tricksters.

for this election, mercury is in a trine to saturn, suggesting that the structures that are in place will make the election go smoothly as far as balloting is concerned. could there be manipulation of the count behind the scenes? this is possible, but it is not likely to be detectable to the average person. if there is cheating, it will be very sly indeed. however, there are going to be many stopgap measures taken to prevent illegal acts. international monitors as well as a cadre of indigenous legal eagles will have access to legal support and advice should procedures run amok. the count will be monitored (though by whom is another question). on election day, neptune, ruler of illusion and confusion, squares the sun suggesting that lack of clarity can prevent us accomplishing the tasks of the day. so, some difficulties are likely. will it affect the outcome? i don’t think so. neptune does not support bush’s chart any more than it does kerry’s. i think the difficulties due to neptune will be logistical and non-partisan.

pluto, ruler of transformation and subterfuge, could also play a role in this. it critically aspects both kerry’s and bush’s charts now. a slow mover, its connections indicate that kerry and bush are caught in the crossfire — are symbols of — the struggle between differing ideological forces in the us right now. pluto’s position, however, does not favor bush — if anything it supports the direction of change in leadership.

there is life after november 2.

there are several events worth noting in november. saturn begins its five-month retrograde period, setting before us our final lesson or major undertaking before its leaves cancer next july. it will be traveling the later degrees of the sign, so if you have planets 20° or later, you will be particularly affected by the forces in play between now and march 21^st, when saturn turns direct. events which occurred last summer — around july 8^th — will feed your experiences of the coming months. other key dates in the saturn cycle are october 19^th, and january 13^th and april 9^th in 2005.

the collective lesson we are working on is in part to reach out to others in spite of the fear and separation we may feel. when we experience fear, we tend to withdraw if we tune in only to the “animal” part of our nature (the responses of the limbic part of the brain). however, we are human, and we can consciously choose to rise above this type of response and choose to understand and feel compassion for our perceived adversary. the need for this was never more urgent than now, when the us and the world has never been more polarized. it is especially difficult if your adversary is not interested in us. we have to tread the fine line between capitulation and self-respecting cooperation. listening is a key skill, but we can’t compromise what we feel to be inwardly correct in this process. there are many other lessons associated with saturn in cancer, some of which i’ve covered in previous forecasts. they put the us and its weaknesses on display because saturn has been passing over the nation’s sun, requiring its population to redefine its identity and restructure itself accordingly.

on the 11^th, uranus returns to direct (forward) motion. this ends its five-month retrograde period, which began on june 10^th, associated with unexpected events bringing out issues of blind faith, as well as surrender to a larger cause. to deal with this contact successfully, we have to let go of situations and objects that no longer serve their intended purpose. now we enter the completion phase of the cycle, which ends on february 24^th. we can look back now at what we have been learning to let go of and fully integrate this lesson into our lives.

if we look at these planetary processes in the international arena, it seems certain that further insurgencies in iraq will bring home the fact that the situation has deteriorated greatly over the past year. the task is now before the us and its leaders to clean up their act in iraq, even display a little humility by admitting to their mistakes and asking for help. this would lead to a more successful outcome of the saturn retrograde for all concerned, based on lessons learned as a result of the uranus retrograde.

mercury turns retrograde on the 30^th. it will conjoin pluto three times, the first on the 20^th. this will take us back to events in august, when jupiter also made contact with pluto during its retrograde; and to august a year ago (2003), when mercury’s retrograde last directly challenged pluto. the (inter)national threads that have been woven through these times are the peace (?) process in israel, most recently about the gaza territory; and the war in iraq. others of particular concern are the conflict in darfur and the ongoing threat of terrorism from the burgeoning family of groups supporting al qa’eda. we can expect these to be in the news once again as this retrograde unfolds. it is doubtful that fair and full elections will take place in iraq in january, and this will be headline news during this time. if john kerry is elected, his cabinet and staff appointees are likely to come under fire, and the hunt for the president equal to the slanderous assaults that bill clinton endured, will begin, but perhaps with greater intrepidity, awareness, and responsibility on the part of the media (of whom i do not consider fox a member). if bush is re-elected, we can expect more of the same old familiar story. regardless, indications are that more (damning) truth will come out about existing situations, and false attacks will be successfully refuted.

a ray of hope, if we need it

on november 29, jupiter makes an uplifting trine to neptune, the first of three. this ties to the jupiter-neptune cycle which began january 9, 1997 when they conjoined in late capricorn. this cycle rules in particular religious ideals, but also the manifestation of spirituality and idealism in society. it was associated with the “we can do anything” mentality of the late 90s, especially in the stock market. we will experience a revisitation of that in the coming year, and that feeling will start again this month. this would be easy to understand if there is a change in leadership in the us. the other two contacts occur on march 14^th and august 17^th, 2005.

what we can do

in the speech he gave after the premiere of “the hunting of the president”, president bill clinton places the current vitriolic battle for the white house in historical context. he points out that there have been two other times when the debate turned as bitter as it is now in our country’s history — each when we were redefining our identity. one was at the birth of the nation. the second was at the time the us became a world power. the third is now, when we are moving into a post-industrial, post-cold war 21^st century identity. he holds out great hope that as before the american people will make the right choice. once we settle into this new identity, the debate will become more civilized once again as the parties reconcile to their new positions.

we can only be as self-aware as possible and vote our conscience with dignity. we will have an accurate view of where the population stands in its collective awareness after november 2^nd. no matter what the outcome is, we cannot relax our vigilance or relinquish our responsibility to support the causes we believe in and the freedoms we cherish.