As the Liberals Turn

Stephen Harper's suprise recognition of Quebec as a nation yesterday has injected new life in the Ignatieff campaign. Hard to know now how much it will benefit him and if it could put him over the top. It made me to look at the horoscopes again.

Although the picture for both candidates is mixed (all horoscopes arguably are), I can see a couple of factors I neglected in Ignatieff's chart that more strongly indicate his victory. In secondary progressions, his Jupiter stations in declinations (16S10 05) in 2005 and 2006. Because we're working without birth times, we can't see which year it applies to and yet its sheer proximity to the current situation reflects well on his chances. In addition, he has a secondary progressed Venus station in declinations (23N18 19) that is exact next year, although if he was born early in the day, then that might reflect his current levels of success and public exposure. The approximate birth time means we can't be sure when it will kick in. But at worst, it seems he can win this thing on Dec 2 and it may well help him win the PM's job in the event of an election next year.

In my experience, progressions trump transits and progressed stations trump progressed aspects. This Liberal convention will be another useful test of that idea.

Cdn Liberal leadership update

As the Canadian Liberal Party move closer to choosing a new leader on December 2, it looks as though frontrunner Michael Ignatieff (May 12 1947) is running out of steam. He's made a number of gaffes and his idea to declare Quebec a nation within Canada has created a lot of criticism. Currently, he's got 30% of decided delegate support compared to 20% for Bab Rae and about 17% for both Stephane Dion and Gerard Kennedy. I had earlier predicted Ignatieff would win the leadership although I didn't have access to his birthtime. My main reason for favouring Ignatieff was on the strength of a couple of excellent progressed aspects -- p2 Venus trine p2 Chiron and p2 Sun trine p2 Jupiter. Using a rounded noon birthtime, however, both aspects have already perfected several months ago. Maybe they reflect the frontrunner status he has enjoyed for the past six months. Has he peaked?

One of the nagging things about Ignatieff's chart is the transit picture on the day of the vote. Although tr Mercury conjoins natal Jupiter, tr Jupiter conjoins natal Ketu while tr Venus opposes natal Uranus. Bob Rae (Aug 2 1948), by contrast, has a fairly unremarkable progressions picture but better transits than Ignatieff. Tr Venus conjoins natal Jupiter (rewards), tr Jupiter trines natal Mercury (good news), while Saturn exactly conjoins his natal Saturn (responsibility).

Rae's chart also has the advantage of having better progressed synastry with the Canada chart. For example, Canada's p2 Moon conjoins Rae's Sun. And Rae's nodes fall across the Asc-Dsc axis of Canada's solar return.

Mark Foley scandal helps bury the Republicans

The Republicans have left the building. Anger over handling of the Iraq war and adiminstration corruption pushed many voters over to the Democrats as they regained the House and Senate in the midterm elections. At least part of the blame for their fall from grace lies with disgraced Republican congressmen Mark Foley and the revelations of his sexual impropriety with underage male congressional pages. His chart (Sep 8 1954 4.55 am EDT Needham, MA) shows no shortage of stresses.

The scandal of Foley's sexually explicity text messages hit the media on September 28. Foley resigned the next day. Using the Krishnamurti ayanamsha, he had just begun his Jupiter-Venus period on September 8. Natally, we can see a potential for problems with the Venus bhukti because it closely conjoins Saturn, and in fact, it is hemmed in between malefics, Saturn and Neptune. And although Venus is strong in its own sign of Libra, it's noteworthy that its nakshatra dispositor is Rahu and it is closely conjoined by Mars. This shows the potential for exaggerated sexual actions and punishments during Venus' periods. Mahadasha lord Jupiter is placed with Ketu in the 11th in Gemini which is is fine in itself. However, it also suffers somewhat by virtue of Mars' aspect, although it is much wider.

At the time the scandal broke, transiting Rahu was trining dasha lord Jupiter within two degrees showing the sudden and upsetting nature of the event. Since Rahu was connected with Mars natally, it brought that energy along with it by transit. Transit Saturn was applying to conjoin the ascendant and natal Pluto in the first degrees of Leo. The November station of Saturn would bring Saturn to Foley's lagna and bring full pressure on his Pluto. Bhukti lord Venus was transiting through Virgo, its sign of debilitation, whilst conjoining malefic Ketu. Transit Mars also exactly squared natal Rahu.
To see his homosexuality and excesses therein, one has to dig down into nakshatra rulerships and the navamsa chart. What's fascinating here is the importance of Rahu (NN). The 7th ruler is Saturn, and it is placed in a nakshatra owned by Rahu. Its dispositor is Venus, which is also in the same Rahu-owned nakshatra. Venus itself is significator of love expression, so that repeats the Rahuvian theme.

Rahu is Rahu obviously, and that can create excesses or transgressive behaviours under any circumstances. In Foley's chart, however, Rahu conjoins Mars (the sexual planet) and the Moon. This is a destabilizing influence. Mars rules the 7th cusp by nakshatra rulership and Mars is conjunct Rahu. Mars as a significator for sexuality and partners is further distorted by virtue of 7th ruler Saturn's exact to the minute 3rd house aspect (sextile). Also note that the Moon is ruling the 12th house of secrets and bed pleasures so having Rahu and Mars influence here would tend to direct pleasures towards the unconventional.

His navamsa chart (9th harmonic) is highly troubled. The nodes lie across the 1-7 axis showing problems with partners generally. Moreover a fallen Mercury in Pisces occupies the Ascendant. Fallen planets in the 1st and 7th houses create marital (and sexual) problems. Sun is also fallen in Libra which conjoins the natal Venus Saturn conjunction. A third fallen planet in navamsa is Moon in Scorpio. Also Saturn is in an exact opposition with Mars. Also intriguing is the fact that navamsha Venus exactly conjoins the natal Mars.

How bad are dussthana houses?

One of the first things someone learns when they take up the study of Jyotish is that some houses are better than others. Alas, there is no socialism in Vedic astrology! Actually, three of them are considered to be downright malefic so that planets placed in them become damaged and their lords can similarly create problems for the houses they tenant. But just how true is this basic rule of Vedic astrology in practice?

Certainly, the dussthana houses (6, 8,12) have more negatives associated with them that the other houses. The 6th rules disease, theft, conflict, legal problems, the 8th rules death, obstacles, and scandal while the 12th rules losses, social isolation, and punishment. Not exactly enticing stuff. But while these meanings are real enough, it’s important to remember that they will only manifest if the houses and planets therein are afflicted or weak in some way. If the planets are strong, then only the positive version of the house meanings will manifest. The 6th also rules robust health, triumph over enemies, service and healing, the 8th rules inheritance and unearned income, ancient and secret knowledge, longevity, while the 12th rules enlightenment, gains from foreign lands, and sexual pleasure.

Al Gore (Mar 31 1948 12.53 pm EST Washington, DC) , for example, has a Moon-Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius in his 6th house. Gore has enjoyed excellent health throughout his life, has had few if any significant legal problems, and has generally prospered in most areas of his life. Hard to say that the 6th house has done much damage to those planets. One way that the 6th house energy has manifested is that it has pushed him into politics which is naturally adversarial. Since the 6th house is associated with conflict, it makes sense that Gore has been so successful in that area. Despite his loss to George Bush in 2000, he remains one of the most respected members of the Democratic party. The key here is that the Moon-Jupiter are strong, unafflicted planets. Moon rules the first house, while Jupiter is in its own sign of Sagittarius.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey (Jan 29 1954 7.51 pm CST Kosciusko, MS) has Sun, Venus and Mercury in her 6th house. She is one of the richest women in the US and was recently voted the most influential women in the world. Somehow, I don’t think those dussthana placements are causing too many problems for her. This is especially true since Sun and Venus rule her 1st and 10th houses. This stellium in the 6th house will tend to display the positive side of the 6th house (and the houses that the 6th house planets rule) because they are unafflicted, their dispositor Saturn is exalted in Libra, and they aspected by benefic Jupiter which also rules the favourable 5th house. We could make a good case that the 6th house influence manifests in Oprah’s ongoing interest in holistic healing and promoting the self-help movement.

Evangelical minister Billy Graham (Nov 7 1918 3.30 pm CST Moorhead, MN) is perhaps America’s most famous religious personality. He has shared prayers with the last ten US presidents all the way back to Truman. He has Sun and Venus in his 8th house in Libra. Unlike many of the television evangelists who followed in his footsteps, Graham has been scandal free throughout his long career. Clearly, most of the favourable significations of the 8th house are manifesting in his life. He has enjoyed longevity -- he is still preaching at the age of 86. He has received millions of “unearned” dollars through contributions to his ministry, although he has been careful not to take too much of it for personal use. And his knowledge and faith in the Bible is unparalleled, another favourable 8th house signification.

Pop singer Madonna (Aug 16 1958 7.05 am EST Bay City, MI) is one of the richest and most famous entertainers in the world. And yet she has both Sun and Venus placed in the 12th house. Has she experienced losses, imprisonment, or a lack of self-confidence? Hardly, although one might ponder the possibility that fame has its own downside that might imitate some of these unfortunate 12th house indications. Nonetheless, we can see how Madonna’s 12th house planets have largely displayed their positive side. For the past 10 years, she has been actively pursuing a more spiritual and enlightened life. She has also spent a lot of time in foreign countries seeking religious and cultural insights. And if the media reports are even partially true, certainly Madonna is something of an expert when it comes to sexual pleasure. All of these things are contained within the portfolio of the 12th house. This is due to the strength of both Sun and Venus in his chart. Their sign dispositor Moon is extremely well placed as it closely conjoins the ascendant, the most powerful point in the entire horoscope.

So these are a few examples that I hope support the notion that dussthana placements aren’t invariably negative. I feel these houses often get a bad rap because astrologers are often forced to make quick judgements rather than careful ones. Also inexperienced astrologers will sometimes prefer simple rules rather than examining the complete circumstances of each planet. There are no short cuts to a full and balanced assessment of each planet’s condition and influences. House placement and rulership are just two out of many factors that shape how a planet’s energies will manifest in the horoscope.

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North Korea nuclear test

As a result of the October 9th nuclear test by North Korea, Kim
Jong Il (Feb 16 1942, no time) and his bizarre retro-Stalinist regime
have moved into the limelight. There are a couple of telling patterns
in his chart that show his desire to standout. Transit Ketu (1 Virgo)
is aspecting his natal Uranus (29 Aries). Natally, his Uranus is square
his Sun, making this contact quite pivotal for the whole chart. This transit
effect pushes Kim to act suddenly and impulsively since these are
significations of both Uranus and Ketu.

A source of difficulty for Kim is the applying Saturn (29 Cancer)
opposition to his natal Sun (3 Aquarius). The November station of
Saturn will coincide with intense pressure and opposition to his rule.
No doubt some level of UN sanctions against North Korea will pass by
then and begin to hit hard. The Saturn-Sun opposition is one of the
most difficult aspects so I would expect the mood in Pyongyang to
grimmer than usual.

Look for Kim's problems to multiply over the next one to two years.
His secondary progressed Sun squares his Pluto. This shows power
struggles and confrontations where he comes out on the losing end.
January 2007 looks like there may be some significant incident
involving foreign governments that doesn't go his way. This may
involve some military dimension, but it doesn't look major. I would
expect more armed opposition to North Korea later in 2007 as Saturn
again opposes his Sun and Pluto conjoins his natal Mars. At the end
of 2007, the nodes will aspect both his Sun and Mars, the planet of
violence. This time will also coincide with secondary progressed Mars
squaring Pluto in Kim's chart. This is a classic Western signature
for violence. While it is hard to be definite about predictions when
the birth time is not known, but the late 2007 early 2008 period looks
very dangerous for Kim and his repressive regime. His days as Dear
Leader may be numbered.

Gold tanks

As signs of an economic slowdown meant a reduction in inflationary fears, the price of gold has fallen sharply in the past few days. Gold's decline mirrored the drop in the price of oil under $60 a barrel. Clearly, the two commodities are moving in tandem. The lazy man's explanation can be found in transit Saturn's near exact conjunction to the Descendant.

No surprises here really. I had predicted back in the summer that gold would retest its June lows in the $550-560 range and that is what's happened. The Saturn aspect is a problem, and with Uranus still backing off Jupiter, there is little upward price pressure from the planets.

I expect the price to bounce around $600 (mostly under) for another month or two. I wouldn't be shocked to see it fall below $550 either. I think a major turning point should be when Uranus turns direct on November 20. Even then, the price may not make any dramatic upswing. December will probably see it above $600. The bigger increases will likely occur after January 1. Again, I think it's very possible for gold to eclipse the May highs of $725 by April 2007.

Thailand Coup

On September 19, the Thai army launched a coup d'etat against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The controversial Thaksin was out of the country at the time. Not a shot was fired.

Although I had expected something along these lines to take place, I had predicted
things to really get going until later in the Fall. Alas, my timing was
off. Back on May 23, however, I did predict that a time of
greater political upheaval was not far off and that a "wholesale change"
was likely although perhaps not until next year..

Here's what I wrote back in May on this blog and on the mundane-astrology yahoogroups list:

"After stepping down amidst charges of corruption in early April,
Thailand's wealthy Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has returned to
lead his government into the next election, likely to be held later this
year. This has created a predictable amount of dismay amongst opposition
parties and the intelligentsia.

...[There are] first order afflictions with some long term destabilizing
transits such as stationing Uranus squaring natal Mars and transit Rahu
applying to Venus, and you have the recipe for some protracted political
impasse. The upcoming Mars subperiod which starts in November 2006 looks
more conducive to the open conflict required to complete wholesale
change. Mars is very afflicted in the D10 chart representing leaders and
government. Most likely the opposing sides in the dispute will come to
blows in 2007. The most precipitous time appears to be June to September
2007 and will feature major upheavals in society in Thailand that will
remake the fundamental terrain of Thai politics."

I think the Mars subperiod is still implicated in this coup, although I would note that using the Krishnamurti ayanamsha, we can push the start date of the Mars period to early October which is very close indeed to the date of the actual coup. Certainly, we should look forward to great instability in leadership and government for the duration of the Mars subperiod, which ends September 2007. I will therefore stick to the flavour of this earlier prediction and expect we will not see a smooth period leading up to the next elections, due sometime in 2007. Given the political instability, we can look for weakness in the Thai stock market and the currency during this time.

I have included a different chart for Thailand here, the chart for the establishment of the Constitutional Monarchy on June 24, 1932 at 5.20 am Bangkok. Interestingly, this was the result of a palace coup, so there's a nice connection with current events. I am adding this not because I think it is necessarily a better chart than the 1782 chart but because it complements it nicely. Certainly we can see the coup fairly clearly with transits of Pluto to the Dsc, Uranus on the Moon, Saturn conjoining natal 10th lord Jupiter and the nodes squaring the Ascendant. This is a much clearer picture of affliction than the 1782 chart.

The 1932 chart is running Venus-Jupiter dasha, so that Saturn affliction to natal Jupiter representing government and leaders fits well. Even more appropriately, natally Saturn is imbued with more sudden destructive capacity owing to its 8th house placement. It does not take a genius to figure out that when Saturn retrogrades back to Jupiter's natal position at 27 Cancer in 2007, that further troubles will beset the government. This looks like an extended period of weakness and questions about the legitimacy of government from February to July at least. September 2007 will feature more turmoil as Saturn squares 12th house Mars. Although this may feature some violence and loss of life, I am expecting financial losses as well since Mars is 11th lord of gains placed in the 12th house of losses. I will update this forecast as events unfold further.