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The Leo Animal August 10 - Sept 15

"What immortal hand or eye can frame thy fearful symmetry?" asked William Blake, when faced with the nature of the cat. Leo is nature in the raw, nature as ruler, natural law and the natural self.

Leos are the living advertisement of their own prerogative. You can’t separate fixed-sign Leos from what they feel because Leo IS what it feels. Leo lives by instinct. There is no artifice, no evolution, only the heart and the moment. Leos abide by no law except the law of the jungle.

The Leo ego is the beating heart. Leos speak from the heart. They think through themselves. They assume the rest of the world would be just as satisfied with the basic elemental aspects of life as the Leo. Behind the display, though, is a puzzlement. The complexity and purpose of human behavior, obligation, anxiety or rank escapes them. Leos cultivate a heart-felt selfishness, the big ego: what’s best for them is also best for everybody! The human memory is suppressed because it harms their egos, and reduces the single-mindedness that they need for the hunt.

>Who is Leo?

>Leo in the zodiac

>The Leo Code

>The Leo Pride

>Lovable Leo

>Flight or Fight

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Astrology: more than the signs

For  thousands of years, astrology has been lurking in the shadows of our consciousness.  Shrouded in mystery and chaos, the study of astrology has thus far only hinted at its true gift to humanity.   Astrology is deeper than the signs. The stars show us more than fragmented pieces of a puzzle, or only define us as unique among the billions of  people who inhabit our planet; astrology also weaves us into a tapestry of our collective  strength and connectivity.

Astrology  is a method for classifying people, but no one sign is superior to another.  Astrology is  meant to bring us together, all of us coexisting in a global village. Rather  than stratify us, astrology is the means by which we can find the  unity with others, and join with them in a non-judgmental effort at human understanding and companionship.

Astrology gives us more than just a personal  acquaintance with our birth horoscope and our personal attributes. It is a philosophy of living, a bold sociological study of us as a planetary civilization.

The  positions of stars and the planets, as we record them at birth,  anoint us with the vitality of our sign's characteristics,   like the separate branches of the tree of life. On first glance, our horoscopes are a  synopsis of our common Zodiacal identity, but look inside the horoscope and there's a treasure map of our endless  complexity as individuals there as well. In astrology, we share a birth sign,  but our fingerprints are ours alone. Astrology is the bubbling family cauldron that shows us the sum is greater than the parts.    

Forget  the shallow categories we now routinely use, of gender, tribe, nationality, race,  ethnicity, history or tradition--and the most dehumanizing of all--economic class. These prejudices rob us of our common birth heritage and awareness of our true selves. They rank us and exclude us, subjugate us and abuse us. Crude stereotypes forced down our throats which only stigmatize us and spawn fear, hatred and ignorance.

Beyond  the credentials of our status, our atrophied appearance and  politicized origins, beyond cliché and clique, there’s a galaxy in  which all human associations can thrive, ultimately giving life to  the beating heart of our fully realized individuality.

Man-made divisions are driving us insane, alienating us from each  other and driving a wedge into our working lives, our relationships and personal  happiness. We can and must eliminate the exploitation of  these divisive, self-imposed limitations and find what links us  together in a joyful expression  of human  interaction. The study of astrology can and will manifest that we are all brothers and sisters of the same  cloth, and yet the stars also open the floodgates of infinite possibilities  of color, cut and style that make us who we are. We have only scratched the  surface of its potential for guidance and fulfillment.

Using  astrology to meet and greet our fellow human beings is the first step towards an egalitarian society on Earth, where all  people are given a place and purpose, according to our individual needs and skills. Only from the vast uncharted expanse   of our universe-womb can we find in ourselves both a social being and a personal  soul. The heavens rain down our shared identities while our Earthly roots nurture our personalities.    

Once  we accept the universal truth of our classifications of sign and  aspect, we can reject the prejudices of our false assumptions and  connections. Astrology can set us free to view in our fellow human  beings a higher order that supersedes all other commonalities.

We   call upon all people to seek such clarity,  tranquility and wisdom  in the grand experiment of our   cooperative existence and the infinite spectacle of our individuality.

To  this end, we will honor this ideal by casting a free birth  chart to anyone who asks for one. Once the door has been opened, we can all  share in the new dispensation. Maybe then, and only then, can we find  the peace and love we all so ardently seek. Join us!

Send your birth day, time and place to get your free 13 sign horoscope    

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MARS IN THE 13 SIGNS

Mars in Aries      The General

This is the strongest placement of Mars in the Zodiac. The Aries Mars is the perfect warrior, who gains its strength from defeat in a never-ending quest for supremacy and control. Relationships can become a combat zone. Bold and decisive, this placement has a strong drive to initiate activities and take action. The courage of these natives to strive for what they want seems immeasurable and relentless. Sexually, Aries Mars is a pure Top, leading the way into an explosive physical experience. Even as a Bottom, their responsiveness can be dominating. Aires Mars are spontaneous and like to take risks, unafraid of experimentation and crossing boundaries. Nothing can prevent them from getting what they want. They may also be rash and accident prone, and even manage to play the victim while victimizing their opponent. They never retreat. The downside is disappointment that can release their anger and aggression if they are thwarted or ignored, and Aries Mars can mistake a supportive, peace-loving partner for a weakling, growing to despise the poor mate who cannot fight  to the bitter end as they will. Pity is the end of the line. Losers and whiners are soon dispatched with a withering sneer.

Mars in Taurus    The Collector    

Taurus in any planet brings a heady mixture of pleasure and poetry to any relationship. Sex can be purely transactional, however: you do me and I'll do you. They can always find a way to accumulate valuable objects and lovers, Mars Taurus can be seeking trophies that appeal to their sense of beauty.  Starting with a come-hither erotic signal, Taurus ultimately promises a maximum physical impact, and a potential life-long connection. Aries Taurus is open for any type of exchange of body fluids, guiltlessly running the gamut of all sexual permutations, from ecstasy to punishment. Mars in this placement is more interested in  "collecting" people than being challenged to grow and change. The fixed nature of Taurus does not allow the Mars to push too far into unknown territory, and can often allow childhood fetishes and habits to inhibit growth, unless it's accompanied by material gain.

Mars in Gemini      The Dancer  

This can be a breath-taking combination for a short spin, as natives are more of a dance partner than a life-partner. The Martian strength adds vigor and irresistible charm to the Gemini's passionate curiosity for the latest trends and attainment of status. Sexually, this combination adds emotional inconsistency to physical love, and a tendency for Gemini to be all things to all people. If Mars Gemini starts to worry, they can rankle everyone with  unnecessary insecurity and a shallow commitment. Geminis' core of self-doubt and anxiety can surface in Mars as self-pity and over-thinking a relationship instead of sharing a learning experience. Mars may push Gemini into hot water, overpromising results and overreacting to the slightest criticism. Although Gemini Mars is a very self-involved entity, they can provide an endless array of sensory experience and will banish boredom in a complimentary quest for new vistas and shared compulsions.    

Mars in Cancer      The Mirror    

 The Cancer Mars is passive and profound, reflecting the energy that others possess back at them. This moody combination can suppress action with feelings, but can bring the best out in others. Sexually, this placement is about stimulating the emotions in the partner that can enable heights of passion. This can also minimize Cancer Mars' ability to express itself in a relationship. Can anyone really know what they are thinking or feeling? This creates a barrier that can be hard to penetrate. The upside is that Cancer Mars is a muse from which others gain great wisdom or insights. The dangers of Cancer Mars is that it allows others to cling on to their fantasies, in the same way a poet glorifies feelings that only exist in the words. Cancer Mars idea of attacking its enemies is to disarm them with a smile, to transfer the ambitions and power of others back at them, confusing them. Cancer Mars is a  disco mirror ball, spinning around to disorient and excite the dancers, providing, at best, inspiration for others to be their best selves and to revel in the release of emotions.    

Mars in Leo    The Empress

This is one of the most powerful fire positions for Mars. There are no bounds to the need to dominate and demand subservience from others. Leo is the hunter, taking what it wants, with little regard to the needs of others. The gift for grandeur is here, as well as the fierceness of the wild beast, the sexual marauder and the self-appointed emperor of any available domain, even if it encroaches on someone else's territory. Sexually, this ego makes Mars a serial lover and requires some form of worship from its conquests.  This egotistical Mars placement also embodies many of the negative sides of the cat, namely ultimate selfishness, overblown expectations and irrational behavior. Yet loyalty and sacrifice can also be part of the bargain. Behind the bluster of the warlike Mars,  Leo is a feminine sign, the protector of the pride, and a source of warmth and comfort to her inner circle.

Mars in Virgo  The Magi

A self-effacing but very active and versatile energy is the cornerstone of Virgo Mars. The native can excel as a conscientious benefactor of important and timely gifts, since the native is always on a journey of the Magi, drawn to a distant brighter star. Timing is everything with Virgo Mars; the otherwise inert hologram that can light up suddenly with a burst of creative and ingenious energy; and just as easily burn out with lack of a catalyst. This placement requires a partnership and connection with a person, animal, group, or set of ideas and ideals. Sexually, the Mars Virgo can adopt the preferences of the partner(s), without much thought of reciprocity, at least until the situation becomes abusive. This placement can then become a harsh critic who denigrates what was once fulfilling. Mars Virgo is very crafty and good with its hands. If they don't stay busy they will become nervous and can stagnate into a listless state until re-awakened by a power perceived to be greater than itself.

Mars in Libra    The Player

You are a lover, not a fighter.   You'd easily see the other side of the story and rather use diplomacy, flattery and friendship to disarm your critics and enemies. Your weapons of choice are judgment, evasion and the "white" lie. It's easy for this placement to attract potential partners, yet there's a lethargy in this Mars that can make the native lazy in love. However, once activated, the Libra can be aggressively managerial and a perfectionist in bed. Sexual desire is very much influenced by lust, but the atmosphere and the attributes of the partner are very important. The abandonment to the moment can snap back to reality in one unguarded moment. Since Libra   can be a player, sexual partners can be juggled so that this Mars always has a alternate backup plan.

Mars in Scorpio      The Assassin

Every Mars Scorpio should have a warning label "Don't tread on me". So pervasive is the implied threat that they can often draw violence to themselves or perpetrate it on others. Scorpio becomes enmeshed in all its sexual affairs and partners cannot escape without a witness protection program. Jealousy can become a major problem for this placement. Sexual energy is stored in the genitals and cannot be detached from their lovers without pain and loss. For this reason, Scorpio Mars can abstain from sex until the pressures are so intense that only a powerful dominant obsession will give it release. This placement has the instincts of the insect to invade and conquer a lover with little regard for his or her wishes and needs. Potential mates need to remember not to start what they can't or won't finish.

Mars in Ophiuchus      The Wizard

Mars in Ophiuchus is a hypnotist, who can draw lovers into his or her web, never to escape. This Mars can cast spells on partners than can render them into captives. Androgynous, but sexually thrilling and controlling, Ophiuchus is a complete package, and expects absolute exclusivity. Ophiuchus is in touch with each sexual modality in turn, natives may cast away any restrictions or limitations on sex and sexual preference, living a secret life to satiate their pleasures, although they can also hold these desires in check for years before indulging them. Ophiuchus can disguise themselves as the opposite sex. They can be critical and severe if opposed. This Mars feels entitled to access multiple partners, and can collect them like charms. The weapons of Ophiuchus Mars are secrecy and taboo, and even former lovers will be subject to a lifetime pact of confidentiality.

Mars in Sagittarius      The Dreamer

Sagittarius Mars is an enthusiastic and athletic lover. Combining carnal lust and an enlightened optimism is the specialty of this placement. The native will put a lot of effort into pleasing the partner. Love can seem so complete until the Sagittarius tires of the sport. Sagittarius Mars can also be very blunt in conversation, and easily buffalo partners using omission and exaggeration. The problem is that this Mars can believe its own illusions, and can deflate when they are discovered. The dream of eternal bliss can come crashing down when the partner wants more than the Mars Sagittarius is willing to give, especially when the more mundane aspects of a relationship are tested. Sagittarius Mars has a hard time with reality, and is likely to move on when the bubble bursts.

Mars in Capricorn      The Boss

Mars Capricorn sweats the details and demands complete compliance. The native is indefatigable, unforgiving and expects a lifetime contract. This Mars can handle a love-hate relationship and doesn't give in to intense feelings. The native can seem more like a distant or strict parent than a lover, and partners must be able to handle feelings of low-esteem, withering under Capricorn's contempt for them. This can leave the partner feeling closed off and shut down, helpless to change past sins. Much of the Capricorn relationship effort will consist of improving the shortcomings of the partner, although this Mars can be like a rock of Gibraltar during tough times. Like all things  Capricorn, the sex will seem like hard work, but when successfully completed, can be ultimately very rewarding.    

Mars in Aquarius    The Eagle    

Aquarius Mars spends its energy in flight--the need for independence comes before all other desires. Sexually, this is an unemotional approach to relationships. Talk isn't cheap for this Mars, it's a prelude to intimacy and enjoyment. Aquarius Mars turns friends into lovers, lovers into friends. Refusing to be captured, natives can fly away at any given moment and commitment and reliability are always a problem. Aquarius Mars is so fixated on freedom that all else is secondary. However, the joys of partnership can come as delightful surprises rather than as a duty or compliance with convention. There's a warmth and solicitude that can emanate from these natives that they will freely offer, instead of mere cliches and routine. For the partner who doesn't push this Mars too far, a tenuous but permanent arrangement can emerge despite all the insecurity of this relationship that refuses to say its name.

Mars in Pisces      The Empath

Pisces Mars is very, very attentive and will go to great lengths to sexually satisfy, even physically drain, the partner. The native responds to desire in all its forms, and lovemaking is so complete it may seem more like healing. Pisces wants to melt into their love object. But the out-of-body illusion can take over the reality. If the Pisces Mars must continually sublimate his or her needs to add to the enjoyment of the partner, her infidelity may be the result, since the techniques she employs can be used on anyone without prejudice. Jealousy is always a factor in a relationship with a Pisces Mars, but always from the other party. Usually a possessive partner can be suffocating to the Pisces Mars, and drive them away or deep underground. This placement needs a private place as a retreat and respite from the incessant emotional cacophony that surrounds it, in order to rest itself and restore the wellspring of love to continually refresh the relationship. A wise partner will not kill the golden goose.

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“By any means necessary, we need anything else.

Stop hiding your pain and suffering. We are all feeling it. Commune with us. Commune with the world. Resist the urge of individualism and re-merge with the masses. We are stronger together. We need to rely on one another. Cry on our collective shoulder, which is always wet with tears. Share the burden you carry with others. How do you feel? Are you healthy? Tell us of your ailments. We will listen. Talk about your addiction. Whisper to us your self-doubt and guilt. Are you always tired? Do you sleep? You eating right? You need advice on the day to day? Speak of your struggles and sufferings! Commiserate this capitalist life with us. Mumble to be what you lost and what to find. Re-paint this world with the real, instead of the fake. We can start there. Assessing our fuckery. Understanding our plight. We will walk the road will you. More will find this path. The road is heavy with refugees who search for anything else.”

Zearle.org

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A bird in the hand is worth a thousand words

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Please, reblog! IIt’s called self defense. Apart from having here, in the US, one of the highest cases of homicide and rape in the world and high rate of GBV, think about how this could help your mother or sister

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In a few days we’ll be having a full Moon in Ophiuchus. This is of special significance since Ophiuchus is so basic to the lunar calendar and is linked historically and psychologically to the Moon. It will particularly effect those with the Moon in Ophiuchus, and activate their emotions throughout the transit. (If you don't know your true Moon sign, click here.)

The chart below shows what the sky will look like on May 29. With the Sun trine Pluto and the Black moon in Sagittarius we can expect some major changes in our individual lives, perhaps even disruptive changes that will permanently alter us. Ophiuchus normally works undercover, like a seed that has been planted and which takes time to show itself. The Moon’s square with Neptune will mean that we’ll be hypnotized by our own fantasies during this period, which can lead to disillusionment later on. Dark Star astrology says this transit is “one of the most sensitive and compassionate aspects one can have, but sometimes its idealism can be misplaced, unrealistic and impractical.”

Key elemnets of the chart: A square with Uranus in Aries and Mars in Capricorn can mean conflict, accidents, and sudden endings. Uranus is also trine Saturn, and our sense of security can be shaken up if we don't keep our feet on the ground. Venus is opposition Pluto/Black Moon and this can wreck a lot of relationships if we don't give generously to those we care about. It doesn't help that we can fool ourselves with too much optimism, since relationships can't flourish without constant cultivation.

The dangers are that we see what we want to see, and we are not honest with others. The real message from Ophiuchus, its compassion, can be obscured by our reliance on subterfuge, addictions, escapism and even criminal behavior--a belief that things can be achieved without hard work.

If we relate this transit with the shenanigans of Donald Trump, we see how this can operate. If we believe in miracles, we can be fooled by charlatans who want to take advantage of us. Although a misplaced faith in Ophiuchus can convince us that things can happen as if by magic; events are ruled by reality, and Ophiuchus can only show us how to respond. If there’s any magic to Ophiuchus, it’s that they can see what we cannot. That clarity of thought can only be obscured by Neptune. The best way to honor this transit is to sing, dance, and make art that can inspire others with our idealism and love. Art is not reality, but it can help us navigate reality.

Full Moon in Ophiuchus–May 29

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Competition and Cooperation

“Find yourself first And when you’re down, Work hard in your mind For it could come alive Then prove to the man you’re as strong as him for in the eyes of god you’re all children of him”

–Jimi Hendrix “Message of Love”

I thought I might offer a few words of comfort to the wandering remnants of the American Left, many of whom have been reduced to pedantic “ABM” (Anybody But Marx) social democrats, and who can range in flavor from anarchists to libertarians, even to capitalist-apologists.

Primed by a 150 years of haters, Marx has indeed gone under the knife so many times that Marxism should be dead many times over. Yet Marxism keeps springing up like weeds in cracked cement. It doesn’t take long for it to spread, either. One thing Marxist revolutionaries were right about is that when conditions are ripe, a “single spark can light a prairie fire”.

The problem I see with Marx-haters is that they miss the actual content of “Marxism” and its little cousin, Socialism. To make your break with capitalism as a political system, you need only to ask yourself one simple question: what is better, competition or cooperation? Your answer will speak volumes about you, and will show you in the light of day where on the political spectrum you belong–at least, for now. Yet no matter which answer you give, it will only be half right.

For example, anarchists might answer cooperation, since a non-governed society needs order from within. Given the chance, most anarchists want to enjoy a collective a form of voluntary socialism, or repressed, non-predatory capitalism. Anarchism’s ideal of cooperation has transcended to a competition with absolute authority.

The Libertarian could say that without competition, progress, advancement, entrepreneurialism, etc. would die. Yet, hidden in the woodshed, there’s  a yearning to cooperate with capitalism, to be one of its success stories.

Of course the capitalist-apologist trumps us all with the most callous and cynical answer; they want competition among us and cooperation among themselves. They thrive in cartels while we fight like crabs in a bucket. That’s why we’re watching the rise of absolute monopolies, which destroy competition for them, and leave us with their scraps. A newly forming economic system requires competition, but when it grows old and insane, it kills the competition and itself with monopoly and deflation. For the capitalist, it’s cooperation among the few against the many, but even that can’t last during a downturn, then it reverts back to capitalism’s cruelest contribution: world war.

At its best, an open-source, free-for-all capitalism wakes up the imagination of its source of profit, the human being. Even as the robber-barons and tycoons were marshaling workers into labor gangs, the human being was advancing, ever striving for a better life and higher consciousness. The worker was trained to cooperate on all levels, and still is inclined to do so, even though it means eventual pauperism. Capitalism didn’t invent the spirit in human beings to advance and prosper, no political system can claim ownership of that. It used it like human capital. Capitalism employed the intelligence and cooperation of a willing proletariat to perform its miracles (most of which have turned into a curse on Earth).

Now many of the proletariat–anyone in bondage to the capitalists– no longer want to cooperate, because they surmise that they will inevitably suffer an even worse reality, being worthless in the market, nothing left to sell. There is no easier measure of the degradation of human beings than when they are forced to sell their only real possession, humanity.

The capitalists don’t have much use for worthless labor, and they do have politicians who will help get rid of it by eliminating the hard-won proto-socialist contract the capitalists were forced to agree to by organized labor. That peaked in the 1970s, and the turning screw of austerity and cutbacks has been diminishing our chances of a happy, productive life ever since.

Today’s generation of bombasts claims there isn’t even a proletariat, although the numbers of exploited immigrants should clear that up right away. Those who enjoy any measure, no matter how fleeting, of privilege, fatuously think that they are belong to a “class X”, free from the basic rules of wealth and ownership—that mirage can only be made real through socialism and reciprocity–a classless society.

One could easily be fooled that we are still expanding, not contracting. The web has enabled a massive transfer of wealth–from one set of oligarchs to another equally venal clique. Those who are only marginally profiting from that massacre of old markets, the “independent” contractor, like the tightrope walker over an abyss of poverty, are the first to see the problem. Why they are not also able to see the solution is another matter.

The old “freedom to work” union-busting laws are now in full effect. Hardly a person in the work force today can even imagine any security or future in working. The stress of this intangible fear is having two effects: it drives us Left or Right, like an irresistible centrifugal force. Those who have spent a lifetime denying Marxism will try to cling to the middle. Yet as events telescope, one’s true colors will emerge as one form of extremism or another, to match the endless crisis mode of our time.

Fear is the mind-killer and we don’t always see, or want to see, that our survival depends not on cooperating with the system, but replacing it. This can be achieved by sharing the ideals of Marxism and cooperation, the logical successor and the polar opposite of a failed ethos of conflict, selfishness and greed. Capitalism isn’t worth the price. In that world of only winners and losers, we will almost certainly die as losers. The only system worth dying for is socialism. True freedom comes with cooperation, and Marxism is the methodology of sharing.

Delete, reboot, restart!

July 16, 2017

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Changing to your true sign in 13 sign astrology. Get used to it!

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The only comfort of seeing your Saturn return approach is the hard work of recognition and the plotting of a new scheme. There's a science-fiction series of books (the names of which escapes me) that might be of some comfort. The hero, a polish scientist and tinkerer, gets sent back in time to the 11th century, 20 years before what he knows is going to be a mongol invasion that will overrun Poland and destroy it. He asks himself what to do? He sets about to help the people prepare for the apocalypse that he knows is going to hit them like a ton of bricks. This makes me ask: can a person change history with his foreknowledge and technical skills?

From “Saturn Return” (13 sign.com)

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Saturn enters Sagittarius Heads will roll, empires will fall

The Montage of Losers

Any or all of these world leaders could be deposed during Saturn's transit of Sagittarius. Clockwise from left, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe England's Theresa May; Grace Mugabe; US' Donald Trump; Germany's Angela Merkel.

Saturn enters Sagittarius on Nov. 19, 2017

Guess what happened on the eve of Saturn changing Zodiacal position from Ophiuchus to Sagittarius?

1) Robert Mugabe, senile dictator of Zimbabwe was forced out of office after 37 years. In this time span, the country went from being one of the most prosperous of Africa's newer nations, to the poorest. The people rejoiced in the street, as the army somewhat reluctantly takes over the reigns of power. The new leaders, however, can hardly be expected to solve any of the overwhelming problems that the country faces, which stem from the massive corruption and mismanagement of the economy.

Image by AFP

Zimbabwe Parliament erupts in joy at the news of Mugabe's resignation.

2) German Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right government collapses, forcing a snap election. The right wing is sharpening its knives for a anti-immigrant government, and it looks like the end of the European Union--which has been called, "a currency looking for a state".*

The rise of the economic realities of falling prices and exports, and the collapse of the social contract between government and the workers can drive German political divisions into a complete schism. Fascist parties are on the march. Germany would be a forerunner for other Western industrial societies splitting apart along class and culture.

(image from Alarabiya)

The takeaway from Saturn's new position in Sagittarius is that dynasties will fall, governments will crumble, empires will face their doom. High hopes will come crashing down. It will rain on everyone's parade. It's happened before. Will history repeat itself, same story, different empire?

The Last time Saturn was in Sag. (1988)

Saturn in astrology always represents the State, the central authority of an organized society. Immobilized with civic responsibility, imbued with unlimited power, stratified by hollow traditions, Saturn may not make the rules, but enforces them as like the glue that holds a political structure together. Freedom and decentralization is anathema to Saturn, since either would cause the unraveling of state power and the rise of individualism. To see how this works in real time, one only has to look at the "deep state" in the US, which, while pontificating on the sanctity of personal privacy can meanwhile set up an electronic spy bureaucracy that can invade every aspect of our lives. Ophiuchus, by contrast is secretive and guarded. Ophiuchus has ancestral memories of the state and church burning her fore-bearers at the stake, murdering them as heretics and witches by the thousands, for thousands of years.

Ophiuchus is the pariah of the state, since she wants her own coven of belief and action in which she is the head of state, the sole leader, the benevolent dictator.

When Ophiuchus stands her ground against the state, overcoming the fear of persecution, it is war to the end. The hopes and dreams of the generation are resting on Ophiuchus victories. As some women fight against the unspeakable evils of our time, others will cooperate, and be held accountable. Even the crisis is serene because it is part of nature.

What happens in Sagittarius is that the high, some might say inflated, hopes of success and good luck get crushed under Saturn's hob-nail boots. The deflating feeling of failure; the lost youth, love betrayed and highest aspirations dashed.

There are enough metaphors to describe the problem; the rise and fall of an idea, the archer overshooting his mark, the return to the animal, the savage, the beast.

With Saturn's heavy hand, there's always an element of having to surrender the lofty goals, not scale the mountain, not measure up, not make that payment. Yet once this new path of retreat and recoil has been mapped, Sagittarius will take the hit, accept the challange to bring about change, even if it means sacrificing everything.

"Not with a Bang but a Whimper"   --T.S. Eliot "The Hollow Men"

*Today we have two weakening empires that could fall apart under the sway of the newest 2017-2020 Saturn transit of Sagittarius: the faltering European Union, which is skating on the thin ice of bankrupt member states, and over-extended central bank debt. Brexit may just be the first of several fissures in the Union, with Italy, Spain and Greece in danger of default. Of course, the biggest cheese, the United States, could be headed for a military defeat in the middle East, and a subsequent massive loss of wealth at home, with probable gridlock and fragmentation of the Federal government preventing any solutions.

However, the EU seems to be closer to disintegration, since it has always been a marriage of convenience, rather than a truly integrated union. Recent events in Spain illustrate how tenuous a grip some EU governments have on their own sovereignty, much less that of the Eurozone. Germany has always been the dominant member, and has shielded the other countries from accountability, in exchange for opening up their markets to German goods. However, the divisions between European nations is, and always has been, so deep, that a even free trade, common markets and a shared currency is not enough to paper over the national hatred they have for each other. The EU marriage of convenience, more like cluster-fuck, ultimately benefits the larger, richer members at the expense of the poorer ones. Germany is the economic wolf, hiding among the sheep-nations. With the economic suicide of Great Britain's Brexit; a divided Spain, the gutted economies of Greece, Portugal, Italy hanging on by a thread, and now a German political crisis--it appears that the EU is coming apart at the seams.

The Last Sag. Saturn

A toppled statue of Vladimir Lenin in Lithuania, Sept. 1, 1991, symbolizes the end of the Soviet Union during Saturn's last transit of Sagittarius.

The last time Saturn entered Sagittarius, in 1988, the Soviet Union began a 3-year process of demoralization, dissipation, and disintegration that ended in its complete collapse and subsequent plundering by its foreign and domestic enemies.

The USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) was itself born in Sagittarius, on Dec 22, 1922, and died there as well, on Dec. 25, 1991. The end of the Soviet Union wasn't predictable. At the beginning of the 1980s, the Soviet empire looked impregnable, and militarily invincible, coming off its invasion of Afghanistan, its network of client states, and its highly-touted hosting of the Olympics.

However, by the time Saturn started to engage the Centaur constellation in 1988, fissures began to show, and the facade of the Soviet "worker's paradise" was stripped away by internal strife and even outright rebellion. By December of 1991, 69 years after the Soviet Union was established, its dissolution was official.

The Soviet Union also invested all its moral authority in the protection of the state against its enemies, using a vast secret police network to weed out troublemakers. Although no capitalist ruling class was allowed to take control, the civil service, the army and the local authorities became a quagmire through which Soviet citizens had to constantly navigate. Corruption and bribery were the rule, and the people became more and more cynical and weary of the reality behind the heroic propaganda of the revolution.

Women, workers, and soldiers held the power in the worker's state. Or was it all just a cruel hoax?

The beginning of the end for the Soviet Union was its invasion of Afghanistan on Dec. 24, 1979. The pretense for the invasion was to support the liberal but unpopular government that the Soviets themselves had installed there. The Russians wanted to secure Afghanistan as a strategic buffer zone and captive market, treating it much the same as it did its other satellite republics. The cold war between the USSR and the US was a series of proxy wars, where the two main nuclear powers would battle for dominance in small, brutal wars fought in smaller, otherwise neutral countries that were transformed into battlegrounds.

In the late 1960s, the US had blundered into a 10-year struggle to colonize Vietnam and failed spectacularly, having to withdraw unilaterally after the deaths of 58,000 American soldiers. The Soviet Union and China both helped the Vietnamese resist the American invasion, but in the process, over a million Vietnamese soldiers and over two million civilians were killed during the slaughter, before the fighting ended in 1975, as Neptune entered Ophiuchus and Saturn entered Cancer. The war in Vietnam was a shattering experience for the American military and changed our view of war forever. A shattered and disenfranchised baby-boomer generation wilted like a tree hit by lightning, losing all its bearings in the pall of cynicism and defeat of its lofty goals. Vietnam destroyed a generation of Americans by dividing it into warring factions; those who supported American imperialism, and those who resisted it.

Accordingly, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was "Russia's Vietnam" and hit the Soviet empire with a sledge hammer. As Saturn entered its transit of Sagittarius in 1988, The Soviet empire was crumbling under the weight of its foreign ambitions and its domestic miasma. As one Soviet republic after another peeled away from the core, and the Russians suffered shortages of consumer goods from soap to vodka, the weakness of the state and its leadership ended the reign of the largest and most powerful socialist country, reducing it to roadkill for the capitalist vultures circling around it.

[13signs]

Reckoning and Revelation

You only know your roof leaks when it rains.

Starting Dec 3, 2017 a powerful set of planets are in motion, making aspects that can jump right from the chart into the headlines. If we are looking for upset apple carts, December is full of them, and will affect all of us financially and philosophically. The war is coming home. The question is: who will be hurt the most?

One of the interesting things about economic crashes is they take place as a result of revelation, waking up to the truth. The realization that our lives are distorted is a drastic change in perception, which only comes as result of shocking, unavoidable events. This is exactly what is happening Dec 3, and continuing until Dec 8, the beginning of an epic realization of the true state of our social and personal predicament.

Uranus, the planet of sudden realization, trines Saturn, conjunct a Mercury that has just gone stationary-retrograde. Unexpected news is being forced upon us, we'll have to make the necessary adjustments. It's also a Full Moon in Taurus, in opposition to Venus and the Sun, with a Mars opposition Saturn. Our well-being and security is being tested.

The array of planets is impressive. it's mostly a difficult situation, but there are good outcomes. The very fact that Ophiuchus and Sagittarius are leading the parade means healing and hope. We'll face our fate once there's no escape, and through hard work and sacrifice, we'll hopefully (the Sagittarius influence) pull through.

How bad can it be when Mercury is looking at the truth, and retreating back into itself to find out more? It's time to repair the damage our oversights and false assumptions have caused. Saturn is putting the squeeze on Mercury, the pressure of a vise wringing our brains out like grapes in a wine press. Saturn is also catching the bullshit side of Mercury--speculation and fraud in the financial markets, lying and cheating in personal or professional relationships, false dreams and Ponzi schemes--all busted in the act.

The Moon's opposition on Dec 4 is even more bad news for the unwary. This is the gloom and doom one feels when the world comes crashing down around ones ears, the desolation and feeling of abandonment at the death of the old dispensation, the lowest point before the new wave. Romance, how could there be?

The conjunction of Mercury and Saturn is when the mental block that has had us trapped in depression can help us clear our muddy thinking and at least show us the situation in crystal clear focus. There's bears in the woods: wouldn't you rather know about them? Mercury and Saturn are an audit of our expectations as compared to the reality. It's dreams vs. debt. Saturn will count up the score and we may find ourselves bankrupt, or stripped of our defenses. Yet because Uranus is feeding us inventive strategies we will have access to the solutions we need to deal with adversity, using the best tools and intelligence at our disposal, if only we can listen! The only way out of a grim reckoning is through a glorious revelation.

In this way we'll be able to replace the outmoded methods of competition and capitalism with a more humane cooperation and sense of community. A Mars-Moon Trine and Sun-Venus conjunction will show us the way: harmony, gentleness, and healing. However, those who stick to violence and fraud to stay afloat will have to deal with the Black Moon Lilith, that conjuncts the Sun on Dec 8.

Politically, the reckoning will effect our leadership's credibility. Trump, the GOP and the Democratic party are all sinking in popularity because of their inability to perform their duties. It's clear from the news that heads will roll in high places.

In daily life, we are being force fed by the media--or lack of a real one--false expectations that are masking reality. Our minds are boggled. In this instance, confidence in the system is a curse, not a solution. The unintended consequences of our actions are coming back to undermine whatever progress we are trying to make. We must cut away our attachments to our old, crapulent ways of thinking, and accept the facts that are glaring at us. Only then can we act to act to correct matters.

If we are robbed of our mistaken expectations, is that a bad thing? A new way of thinking seems remote now, but when the curtains are drawn and we see the truth, its amazing how fast we can adjust, as if by a Uranian lightning bolt. This can mean a third Uranian-based party. This would be an information-based party of democratic socialism, political revolution and compassion that Bernie Sanders--and the majority of our youth--favors. Revelation will come most easily to those who are the least invested in the system.

One major wake-up call might involve our false dreams of imperial expansion, exceptionalism, and our Pyrrhic victory in the seven wars in which the US military is involved. What are we really doing in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria but causing more misery and bloodshed? Why can't we extricate ourselves from this horror? Our collapsing trade alliances with Europe, China, India, Brazil, et al. has been replaced by a cannibalistic frenzy to cash out at the expense of others. If Making America Great means subjugating others, it won't fly. The rest of the world, the Earth itself, won't stand for it. The true, leering face of capitalism has bared its teeth; it's a race with the devil.

Industrialized counties are suffering a currency implosion amplified by high-risk, low yield investments. Half of the top five corporations are "unicorns" that survive on the abundance of capital only available to the rich. Overproduction and hidden debt caused by the central banks and the IMF has hollowed out the global economy. Anyone with dollar-based debt is walking a tightrope, and the dollar, the global currency, is now poisonous to everyone on Earth. A major deflation of the dollar is just around the corner, and has already begun to eat away our foundations. The dollar's weakness can be measured in the skyrocketing value of Bitcoin, Etherium and other cryptocurrencies. The rise in Bitcoin prices, $1,000 in just one month, represents the devaluation of the dollar rather than the value of Bitcoin. We see it as growth when its merely inflation.

When these bubbles pop and head into a deflationary spiral, it will mean a a major shift in our perceptions of value, price discovery and quality of life. What is deflation? "More is less; everything ventured, nothing gained". Deflation is the exact opposite to what we have become accustomed to for the last 70 or so years. It switches from expansion to shrinkage and monoply. Overvaluation isn't real wealth, but the markets have falsified it to look like prosperity.

However, in spite of all the boom and bust, it's the obscene abundance (for the top 15%) that is the real threat. Disparity of wealth destroys demand, and falling demand is the major problem today, not supply. Before the eventual collapse of prices, comes the collapse of the dollar, and a hyper-inflation that wipes out the middle classes. Before we see the imbalance, we'll have to pay more for the same goods and services, and prices and taxes will skyrocket. The corporations cannot serve two masters; profit and customers. The actual situation has been buried under a mountain of hype and boosterism. We'll have to face that our security is like a sagging roof, about to collapse. We don't know our roof leaks until it rains; only then can we fix it.

Related: Economics, Bad news

Comments or questions?

[13signs]

Trump’s transit troubles

Backlash to a Blowhard

Donald Trump's Saturn-Moon-Sun Problems

The last time Saturn stepped on Donald Trump's Moon was less than two weeks before his dreary and demoralizing inaugural. He was humiliated, caught with his pants down as he tried to exaggerate his crowd numbers. Meanwhile, the Women's march drew millions nationwide. This was the first of many gaffes, and his administration got off to a rocky start. During the term of Saturn's transit of his natal Moon, his Mexican wall, anti-Islamic immigration bills, and the repeal of Obamacare were are squashed. Moreover, his cabinet was trashed by a media broadside and a relentless meme ridicule. The "resistance" to his presidency was in full swing. He had to crawl back under the protection of the Republican party he almost destroyed.

Starting in early July, Saturn came back in retrograde to take another swipe at his bubble, and the reality of his incompetence and contradictions are coming into full view. For the second time his trajectory was stopped in its tracks. Everything he says one day is regurgitated the next to mean the opposite. The elimination of Obamacare, like an open wound, seems to be harder to deal with than he thought.

Saturn isn't accelerating the gradual descent into financial crisis and political anarchy--that's Pluto's job; but Saturn is damn well raining on Trump's parade.

In the patois of astrology, a Saturn-Moon transit is called the "Bitter Lady" and implies a very adversarial situation. It's hard-hearted, inhibited, suspicious. Any false sense of security is stripped away, and feelings of loneliness, isolation and depression make us cling to hopeless, unwinnable situations and self-destructive practices. The only emotions we have left are low-self esteem, resentment and envy. A person going through this beating isn't going to be the life of the party, much less be able to successfully pursue a political agenda.

Odd-man-out at the G20 summit

Trump's magic with the media and ability to galvanize his followers depends on his own myth of his invincibility and confidence, but Saturn has been slowly hammering away at the image, making him withdrawal into an ever smaller circle of trusted confidants. Although still popular among his millions of followers, they haven't seen any progress, nor have any of their actual demands been addressed. His quixotic policy statements are so dualistic that even his handlers are confused. His recent grandstanding at the G20 summit and his attempts at reconciliation fell flat, and he was the odd man out among a veteran set of players who seem to have already discounted him and American power. Russia's Putin and Germany's Merkel seem to have run circles around him. Internationally, he's quickly becoming old news, a flash in the pan, an embarrassment--which must disappoint Trump if not his supporters. Some foreign media have actually labeled him a "mobster".

Transiting Saturn and Trump's natal Moon conjunct in 14 degrees Ophiuchus. This really amplifies the Ophiuchus fear of persecution and hope for renewal, two very predominant influences for those who have the goddess in their birth charts. Trump is a demagogue; a blunt and direct Taurus on his best days. His Moon in Ophiuchus gives him an ability to cast spells on the unwary, like a horny old wizard hypnotizing a crowd of bumpkins at the circus. Now, in the harsh light of the internet, working behind the scenes is impossible for him; all three times that Saturn crosses over Trump's Moon have put his weaknesses in the spotlight, and will subject his brand of boosterism to piercing scrutiny.

Was it not for this cloud over Trump's Moon, this would be a fortunate time for him. Trump will get a taste of the generosity of a Jupiter return in Virgo during August that will pump him up, part of a series of very lucky Jupiter connections in August. A Virgo Jupiter is a fixer, and Trump may actually appear to enjoy a tailwind. But there's stormy weather ahead. Any optimism may be slapped down again by Saturn a few weeks later. Most of Trump's first year of his presidency has been held hostage to this Saturnean triple-slap at the presidential ego, and he's not out of the woods until November. The final Saturn transit of Trump's Moon will start to apply at the end of August, go exact on September 27 and be active until mid-October. Trump won't be free of the dour influence of Saturn on his powerful Moon, upon which he depends to bamboozle his base, until Saturn enters Sagittarius on Nov. 19.

Just as the Saturn-Moon transit ends, a new, worse and more inhibiting Saturn-Sun opposition transit goes into high gear.

During the same buildup, Jupiter will trine his Sun and Uranus will bolster his Mars-in-Leo energy, so he might be able to bluster his way through. However, Jupiter could also inflate his confidence like a balloon, expanding his ego and his stomach. He could find himself having to backtrack from exaggerations as Saturn undercuts his empty boasts with hard facts.

The final phase of Trump's Saturn-Sun transit could really strike deep and personal, exhausting him and taking a physical as well as an emotional toll on him. Trump's Sun will get the Saturn treatment for over a month, from the middle of October to mid-November (right into the Mercury retrograde period). Stephanie Johnson says of this transit:

"Life seems like an endurance test during this transit. You feel tired, worn out and old as your list of jobs seems overwhelming in comparison with your time and energy. There may be delays in your projects or simply a feeling that the fruits of your current labors are hard to see right now. It is a time to ponder on your priorities and discard any tasks that may be blocking your path, while shouldering responsibility in the areas which are important. Meditation may be useful. Certainly it is a time to watch your diet and health."

Trump is not likely to heed any of this advice, and will double down and blame others for his own lack of purpose, loss of confidence and the take-down of his image.

What a terrible time for Trump's big ego as he embarks on a 14-day Asian trip that's bound to have negative repercussions!

The Sun represents the ego, and Saturn has a malefic influence on it in opposition, where by starts and stops, the full weight of the responsibilities and frustrations of his presidency start to crush him into an untenable position. It might even mean a physical breakdown, back problems, or a general malaise from which he cannot escape. Trump's tour of Asia during this slump, and his depressed state of mind and pitiful collection of shop-worn cliches will not go over well with his Asian counterparts, especially Chinese Premier Xi and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, both of whom have openly scoffed at the limits of American imperialism. Xi has recently reached a pinnacle of power, as his new 5-year plan for regional domination and world influence starts to materialize, along with the new alliances he is making with Russia, Iran, and others who now see China as the practical replacement for the failure of the US-controlled world economy and its impending melt-down. Many countries now see the gold-backed Chinese yuan as a alternative currency against the dollar. The Chinese face the consequences of their own financial bubble, and see expansion as the only way to avoid a melt-down of their overheated economy. The Philippines, Vietnam, and other Asian states all see which way the wind is blowing, and will have to realign their economic future with their regional giant, China.

A minor but very dangerous Neptune transit of Trump's Venus makes him very vulnerable to confusion, frustration and a pitiless reality exposing the true Trump and his relationship problems, which he has with almost everyone. Of course, scandal is his middle name, and his supporters have tended to overlook them in the past--when it was convenient for them. That Neptune is the planet of scandals and erosion of faith--and money, in the case of a Venus transit.

If you factor in the volatility of today's politics; the herd mentality of the mainstream media; the potential for military defeat in any of our far flung wars, (particularly Afghanistan); worsening global trade relations; and a deflationary dollar causing a hyperinflation of the cost of living, the possibilities for a major crisis seem imminent. Trump may be hard pressed to stay on top of the curve.

However, the Taurus in Trump will never let him quit. The consequences are worse, and with no real opposition from the hapless Democrats, the "sick man" of US politics, Trump may survive and go on to oversee the greatest financial crash, default and bankruptcy in history. Trump fills a void in American politics that was created by venality and greed, and that patina will stay with Trump until the end. The need is greater than ever for effective leadership, yet we'll not see any hope of change; Americans face the possibility of a Trump administration bloodied like a mortally wounded bull in the ring, kicking and trashing around, part of a global trend of failed states mired in corruption and fraud. The degree of success or failure for Trump in muddling through the gargantuan problems we face won't matter in the long run, Trump is essentially a placeholder in today's politics, since even if he knew what he was doing, he couldn't make it real. His own lack of substance, desperate isolation and peevish paranoia may spell more danger for Trump than any media backlash or attempts to disgrace him by his enemies. Trump is his own most dangerous enemy. He has nothing to give, nowhere to go, nobody to love him. He's a TV has-been that oversold himself and now must pay the piper.

Donald Trump's natal chart.

A Taurus native with a Ophiuchus Moon, he taps into the magic of mass appeal with a frank, outspoken simplicity. Trump's contradictory statements and Twitter tantrums are easily explained by his Mercury, Venus and Saturn in Gemini. Rather than the mark of the predator, Trump has his Leo Mars buried in the 13th house, closeted in a shroud of sexual secrecy that alienates him from humanity. Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune in the 2nd house enable him to appear larger than life, seducing people to believe he possesses powers that far exceed his true capabilities. His Taurus planets are trine his Virgo, he's survived in public life so long because he's adaptable (for a Taurus, anyway). Trump's future is out of his hands; he's awakened a dragon of international opposition and his only weapons are the dollar and the drone, neither of which can measure up to the task of saving his presidency, or helping the country avoid a take-down of immeasurable consequences.