Starlight News Blog

With Rick Santorum’s surprising sweep of victories on Tuesday, the GOP is all a-flutter. The Republican base has once again proven itself more fickle than a butterfly in the spring, as it flits from one potential nominee to another, never resting for more than a moment. Every time we think we know what is going on, the wind blows and rearranges the landscape. This week’s narrative is that Santorum is the new savior of the party, and Romney is weak and flailing. Just don’t get too comfortable, for the restless hordes of GOP voters are likely to soon shift again.

I often think that presidential campaigns bear a great resemblance to a courtship, with the candidates wooing the electorate and hoping to gain acceptance for a four or eight year “marriage”. This means that the candidate who is most beloved, as indicated by the strongest Venus progressions and transits, will usually win the day. Indeed, it is the most Cupid-blessed candidate that will draw the most adoring crowds and the highest level of enthusiasm. The problem with this year’s crop of GOP wannabes, however, the reason none of them has really ignited the electorate, is that none of them have enough of a Venus glamour for the seduction to succeed for more than a few days at a time.

Mitt Romney, the limping frontrunner and the one still expected to get the coveted nomination, has a converse progressed Venus opposition to his Ascendant through March, which is certainly helpful and adds to his appeal. But the Saturn station of January and February 2012 (29Libra30) has been in a long sesquiquadrate with Romney’s Mercury (13Pisces55) where it remains through March 4.  This has brought a considerable drag to his campaign in the form of numerous unscripted gaffes and mistakes.

Moreover, transiting Neptune is currently square to Romney’s Ascendant (00Gemini43) which brings with it the very destructive narrative that Romney is inauthentic and has no real core of values other than wanting to be president. This tendency to mirror back one’s surroundings rather than having a strong center of integrity, and thereby seeming untrustworthy, deceptive, and changeable, is the hallmark of Neptune. The transit will remain very strong with Romney through late February, returning in full force in late August through mid-December 2012.

The best news for Romney is Jupiter’s path through Taurus and early Gemini: square to his Midheaven (6Aquarius28) from February 21 through February 28; square to his Venus (8Aquarius33) from March 3 through March 9, which suggests a likely big win on Super Tuesday; conjunct his Ascendant (00Gemini43) and North Node (5Gemini29) in June and early July; and square to Mercury (13Pisces55) in late August and again in mid-November 2012. In addition, transiting Venus will be square to his Sun (21Pisces11) and sesquisquare to his Venus during most of May. These aspects point to some noteworthy short-term successes when they are active.

The worst news for Romney is the solar eclipse on his Ascendant on May 20, which suggests some major loss or failure during the following year, especially when strongly triggered. As noted, Neptune will be square Romney’s Ascendant during most of the last four months of 2012, potentially setting off the difficulties inherent in the eclipse. This can indicate an electoral loss, with the above-noted Neptunian characteristics a major factor, or it could conceivably mean a loss of the nomination or a very weakened candidacy due to the confusion and chaos (Neptune) within the party. Unfortunately for Romney, there are no strong Venus progressions that could help to counteract these struggles with a potent dose of charisma and popularity. Instead, it will be the Neptunian narrative that will stick: the candidate as cypher, the hollow man who says whatever he thinks people want to hear and who therefore cannot be trusted. In short, it will become painfully clear that there is no there there.

Rick Santorum, on the other hand, is a reliable social conservative. With his recent wins, he is poised to take over the anti-Romney vote from the beleaguered Newt “Moon Mayor” Gingrich.  As with Romney, however, there is no indication of any sustained progressed Venus energy that would be strong enough to really pull Santorum across the finish line. His big win last Tuesday came with the quick-moving transit of Venus quincunx his natal Node/Neptune conjunction (1-2 Scorpio) and transiting Mars sesquiquadrate his Venus (5Aries45) from February 7 through February 11. The Arizona and Michigan primaries on February 28 may also bring some wind to Santorum’s sails, with Venus crossing his Mercury (24Aries), Jupiter square his Uranus (7Leo49), and the Sun conjunct his Mars (10Pisces00).

Santorum may gain some strong momentum and excitement from March 28 through April 15 when Uranus crosses his Venus (5Aries44), but that thrill seems likely to be crushed between mid-April and mid-May with a long series of Saturn transits that will repeat in July through mid-August in case they don’t get the job done the first time. Saturn will sesquiquadrate his Mars (10 Pisces00), oppose his Mercury (24Aries06) and conjunct his Jupiter (23Libra50) during these times. Perhaps Romney…or his PAC… will be bringing  out the scorched-earth tactics in full force around then.

As is being noted by the punditocrisy, much of the enthusiasm and energy of the campaign is now building up on the Democratic side, with President Obama’s popularity growing and his approval ratings moving into positive territory, while that of the GOP contenders plummets. At the moment, Obama is enjoying the building progression of his Sun square to natal Venus (1Cancer47), exact in late June, and then granted an extension in July and August with transiting Neptune trine to natal Venus. This progression, along with the transits of Uranus (1Aries) and Jupiter (1Taurus) in the past few months, has helped Obama consolidate and re-energize his base, as well as luring back a significant number of independents.

As for the rabid Republican base, two further things are worth mentioning. Using the Sagittarius rising US chart, the progressed Moon will be conjunct progressed Mars in August 2012, exact on September 1, at 18Libra28. If this chart is accurate (and no one really knows the birth time of the US), it suggests a great deal of anger and upset at the end of August among some sector of the US population (US Moon). One possible manifestation of this would be an eruption of dissent and turbulence at the GOP convention, which takes place from August 26 through August 30.

The final point I want to make concerns the increasingly inflammatory rhetoric of the Republican candidates and their surrogates as they describe the president. He is being characterized as some kind of existential threat to America, and his potential second term is being represented, in the most dire terms possible, as signifying the ultimate doom of this country and all we love about it. The GOP base is already wild with rage and feelings of paranoia and victimhood. This kind of rhetoric could easily create a tidal wave of rebellion should President Obama win the election in November. I am mentioning this because of the hugely volatile aspects that will hit the US chart in late November and December 2012. The progressed US Sun square to natal Uranus (8Gemini55) will begin to take effect in September 2012, but it will be intensely triggered by Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter from late November until Christmas. There will be some kind of upheaval and rebellion during that time. It remains to be seen if this will be a response to some of the election results or something else entirely. But when I listen to the wild, histrionic, outrageous, and dishonest accusations about President Obama at the CPAC conference this week, I can’t help but wonder.

On the whole, things have been going well for President Obama during the past few months.  He stood up to the Republicans in December and got an extension of the payroll tax cut. He has taken his argument against income inequality to the American people and garnered a significant uptick in his approval ratings as a result. The recovery, though weak, is back on track, and people are generally more hopeful about the future than they have been for a couple of years. And finally, he has been blessed by the dissonant rhetoric and extremism of his opponents in the GOP mud-slinging, freak-show primary, which has served mostly to bolster the president’s standing as the only reasonable adult in the room and the only one with an actual interest in helping the American people rather than the super-rich.

For Obama, this heightened charisma, success, and popularity is indicated astrologically from October 2011 through January 2012, by the strong activation of his progressed Sun square to natal Venus (1Cancer47) by both transiting Uranus (1Aries) and transiting Jupiter (1Taurus). This very positive year-long progression, which will peak in late June 2012, will also receive a boost from transiting Neptune (1 Pisces) trine to Obama’s Venus from February 25 through March 24. In addition, late March will bring a transit of Jupiter square to Obama’s Sun (12Leo35), from March 23 through April 2. Thus, whatever the Fates throw at our president through March, he will land on his feet, glow with charisma, and be well appreciated for his actions.

But the world these days is littered with hidden landmines and simmering volcanoes, any one of which could explode into a full blown crisis at a moment’s notice. Two of the most significant are the European debt issue, which continues to threaten the anemic recovery in the US, as well as potentially devastate the European economy, and the building tensions with Iran over its development of nuclear weapons. The latest news on that front is that Iran is considering attacks on US soil.

As of March, we can expect the stress lines to crack open in a number of areas. One of the first will be Greece, which is very likely to erupt into rioting and upheaval between March 5 and March 23, due to transiting Uranus square to natal Uranus (4Capricorn24), which is currently being squared by progressed Mars (4Libra). This angry volatility will be further exacerbated and potentially quite violent from March 11 through March 14 when transiting Mars makes a slow crossing over natal Mars (9Virgo39). The population of Greece will likely remain quite agitated through most of April, as a slow-moving, transiting Mars stations quite near the trine to natal Uranus, activating the square with progressed Mars.

Many of Europe’s leaders and national charts will be adversely impacted as Saturn crosses and recrosses several sensitive degrees from March through August 2012. Some indications of the very difficult economic times expected in Europe due to this Saturn transit from late March through August are: the Saturn square to Angela Merkel’s Sun (24Cancer33) from April 24 through May 8, and remaining active through mid-August; the Saturn station square Greece’s Sun (22Capricorn45) from late May through June; and the Saturn station square Italy’s natal Saturn (23Cancer21) from May 10 through most of July.

A corresponding economic strain can be seen impacting the US from mid-April through mid-May and again in August 2012. The recovery seems to gain much more momentum as of September and beyond. Again, it is the sensitive points in several charts that will be transited in some way by Saturn that point in this direction: Saturn will conjunct the Mars/Neptune conjunction (27Libra) in Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s chart in April and square his Node (24Capricorn26) in early May; Saturn will square Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner’s Saturn (24Capricorn28) in late April and early May; Saturn will square the US Mercury from late April through mid-May (24Cancer12); and square President Obama’s Saturn (25Capricorn20) during the second half of May.

Perhaps the most ominous indicator for mid-April through mid-May comes with the progressed US Moon conjunction to natal Saturn (14Libra48) which suggests a period of increased anxiety and upset among the American population. This can relate to something general like the economy or a particular situation that impacts some segment of the population but becomes a national story. It is my opinion that it may be both.

Prior to this difficult Moon/Saturn aspect, which begins around April 11, there are some extremely disruptive and potentially violent planetary configurations that will come during the second half of March. These suggest President Obama and the US may suddenly become involved in some kind of high-stakes altercation. It is possible that these events may set the stage for the significant strains of the following two months. There will be a week-long transit of Mars square to the transiting Node from March 15 through March 22. During most of this period, Mars will be conjunct the president’s Pluto (6Virgo59), as well as square to the US Uranus (8Gemini55) and progressed Uranus (7Gemin03).  This will be followed by transiting Mars quincunx transiting Uranus (4Aries55) from March 26 to March 31. It is very clear that the President will already be engaged in a major power struggle during March, due to his progressed Moon quincunx to natal Pluto all month. This tension will be go into high gear when Mars crosses his Pluto during this very volatile period. Moreover, the Jupiter square to Obama’s Sun in late March indicates some kind of bold action that seems initially successful.

The most critical period will be from mid-April through mid-May, and it seems to have national security or military implications. As of April 10 through the end of the month, transiting Uranus will be square to Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta’s Sun (6Cancer26), suggesting some sudden, jarring events related to the military that will be simultaneous to the loss, sorrow, or anxiety indicated by the progressed US Moon conjunction to Saturn. The second half of April also brings Saturn into a square with Obama’s Saturn (25Capricorn20), suggestive of heavier than usual burdens and frustrations.

Another potentially brutal and confrontational period, which is likely to bring sudden attacks, aggression, or disruptions involving the US and its interests will come from May 2 through May 15, during which transiting Mars will again be quincunx transiting Uranus (6Aries52), with transiting Mars conjunct Obama’s Pluto (5/2 to 5/9), as well as transiting Mars square to US Uranus and progressed Uranus (5/4 to 5/15). This is a very volatile mix that suggests unexpected upsets and possible violence (Uranus/Mars).

The first half of May will also bring transiting Saturn into the first phase of its station square to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano’s Venus (23Capricorn52), an aspect that points to some very difficult and disturbing issues that impact Homeland Security. Moreover, National Security Advisor Tom Donilan will be under a Saturn transit opposite his Venus (24Aries05) through the first half of May as well, underlining the extreme stress that is likely to involve the military, intelligence, and security systems in late April and the first half of May.

In summary, it seems that some significant confrontation or agitation will be unleashed during the second half of March. This will be followed by a very stressful, anxious, and volatile situation impacting the country from mid-April through mid-May. A further period of intensified aggression and conflict is very possible during the first half of May. I think the economy will be under some strain during April and May but the primary focus will be circumstances with national security, military, intelligence, and diplomatic implications. It seems likely the country will calm down increasingly as we move into late May, although the diplomatic, security, and intelligence teams may be working overtime for a few more months to get things fully back on track.

News junkies everywhere are feasting on the reality-show slugfest known as the Republican Primary. TV pundits and web bloggers alike are in a perpetual state of hyperbole, gleefully refereeing who most efficiently and brutally attacked who in every debate skirmish and media ad, with each event universally described as if it were an Ultimate Fighting match-up.  Meanwhile, despite Newt Gingrich’s huge win in South Carolina and his strong polls nationwide among the foaming-at-the-mouth Republican base, the panicking GOP elders are doing everything in their power to crash his candidacy before his momentum cannot be stopped. Their fear of a Gingrich nomination is palpable. His gargantuan grandiosity, his incendiary attacks, and his bizarre ideas may be red meat for the unhinged fringe, but they are largely repulsive to the rest of us who will vote in the November election.

At the moment, Mitt Romney has retaken the lead in Florida, where the next big primary battle will take place on January 31.  As predicted in previous posts, Romney began to get his mojo back when Mars turned retrograde and once again began to move toward its opposition to his Sun (21Pisces11). This began with the first debate of the past week and had strengthened considerably by the second, during which Romney clearly had the stronger performance.  This aspect, which signifies a much more aggressive and focused candidate, as well as more and more attacks against him, will strengthen through February 10.

Romney has enough fast-moving, positive aspects just after the Florida primary to suggest he will win it. On the morning of February 1, the Moon will oppose Romney’s Moon/Jupiter (27 Scorpio), and Mercury will conjunct his Venus for the day. By evening, Venus will move into a semisquare with natal Venus (8Aquarius33).  His very upbeat mood for over 24 hours after the voting indicates success.

It should be noted that on February 3 and February 4, Gingrich will have transiting Venus square to his Sun and Moon, and is therefore likely to have some beneficial circumstances for a few days. But with Jupiter semisquare Romney’s Sun and square his Midheaven for the second half of February, followed by Jupiter square his Venus from March 3 through March 9, it seems likely he will be well on the road to the nomination very soon. It may be that by mid-February, with the waning of the Mars opposition to Romney’s Sun, most of the Gingrich-inspired attacks will diminish, although I anticipate Gingrich’s last gasp of aggression to be quite brutal through February 12. Transiting Mars will be semisquare to his Pluto (5Leo41) while it simultaneously opposes Romney’s Sun.

I am not ready yet to predict who I think will win the November election, although I strongly lean toward President Obama at this time. I am waiting to see who Romney’s VP nominee will be and what his 2012 solar return looks like. For now, Romney is under the solar arc progression of Venus opposite his Ascendant, peaking in March 2012, which adds some degree of attractiveness to his generally stiff personality.  The threefold Venus transit in May square to his Sun will also lend him a flush of brief charisma.

As of April 2012, however, solar arc Moon/Jupiter will move into an opposition with natal Saturn (2Leo24) through April 2013, suggesting that the issue of an unappealing and standoffish personality will become increasingly significant. In addition, there will be a solar eclipse on Romney’s Ascendant (00Gemini43) in May 2012, which will have an impact of up to a year or more. Exact eclipses to the angles or the Sun or Moon are usually seen as malefic omens unless very positively aspected. This one will be square to Neptune, with transiting Neptune coming back to exactly square the eclipse point and Romney’s Ascendant from late August through mid-December 2012. This configuration suggests that Romney’s penchant in the campaign for distorting the facts, hyperbolic pronouncements, and opportunistic repositioning depending on his audience (Neptune) may prove the fatal flaw that derails his election. Thus, the eclipse on Romney’s Ascendant may indicate a dramatic failure in 2012 for someone whose life has otherwise been cloaked in unending success.

Tensions are building between Iran and the West. Essentially, much of the world, and especially the US and Israel, is deeply uneasy with Iran’s relentless progress toward nuclear capability. Due to Iran’s ongoing support of terrorist organizations and its fundamentalist and rabidly anti-Western government, global concern over this escalating threat seems legitimate.

Thus far, there have been both covert and direct attempts to thwart Iran’s nuclear development. The Stuxnet worm that burrowed into Iran’s computers and the multiple assassinations of its nuclear scientists, both unofficially attributed to Israel, have slowed but not stopped the advancement of the program. Meanwhile, official Western policy, largely spearheaded by the US, has been focused on economic sanctions, which recently have tightened considerably. Iran, in turn, has threatened to disrupt oil shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and sentenced to death an Iranian-American tourist charged with spying while visiting his grandmothers. Concern is building that a tiny spark in this tense atmosphere could easily ignite an uncontrolled conflagration.

At the moment, we are in that 6-month period that comes every two years when Mars, the planet of aggression, slows down and goes retrograde, thereby intensifying its impact throughout the world. Individuals and countries whose astrological charts are directly impacted by this transit are most susceptible to a dramatic increase in energy in the pursuit of their goals, sometimes leading to violence or confrontation. The Mars station on January 24 will be at 23Virgo05 conjunct President Obama’s Mars (22Virgo35) and square to the US Mars (21Gemini23). This transit alone suggests an increase in agitation and increased assertiveness for the president and country during January and early February.

There is, however, a much more dangerous grouping of configurations during the second half of March with a potential for escalating hostilities. From March 15 through March 22, the transiting Node will be square to the transiting Mars, culminating when Mars is at 7Virgo08. This square will be in a tight aspect to President Obama’s Pluto (6Virgo59) during a month when his progressed Moon will be quincunx to natal Pluto. What this suggests is that in a month when the feeling of a power struggle and distrust is growing for the president (Moon/Pluto), there will be a week (3/15 – 3/22) of extremely angry posturing and aggressive assertiveness, if not violence (Mars/Node), into which he will be drawn.

The week-long Mars/Node square will also be in a minor hard aspect to the progressed Mercury/progressed Mars conjunction in Iran’s chart (21-22 Aries), a progression describing a period of increased belligerence and anger from that nation, building in strength from December 2011 through mid-April 2013. The transiting Node will continue to trigger this progressed conjunction through April 6. Furthermore, there will be a prolonged quincunx of transiting Mars to transiting Uranus, from March 26 through March 31, further extending this period of heightened violence and disruption throughout the world.

The biggest concern about Iran is its existential threat to Israel, a threat which will increase exponentially if Iran develops a nuclear weapon. As the danger to Israel is seen to grow and Israel’s covert actions to diminish that threat increase, tension between these two nations is rising. Thus, it is of great significance that the second half of March also will bring transiting Uranus into a square with Israel’s Venus (4Cancer49) and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Uranus (4Cancer58), while at the same time transiting Saturn will be conjunct Netanyahu’s Sun (27Libra32). We can infer from these configurations that the last two and a half weeks of March will be a time of surprise upsets and transformative and swiftly-moving circumstances in Israel that are very stressful. With transiting Uranus moving to square the Moon in the Iran/Israel composite chart (5Cancer45) from March 29 through April 16, some significant escalation of the agitation between these two nations seems quite likely.

Although a full-blown war seems unlikely at this time, the rhetoric and the skirmishes may bring us closer to the edge of the cliff. A far more treacherous path lies ahead from 2013 through 2015 when the Uranus/Pluto square and several progressions have the potential to exacerbate tensions to the breaking point, especially in early 2015.  What happens to Iran in 2013 and 2014, however, will be especially significant, with Uranus crossing Iran’s natal Sun (11Aries06) and Pluto squaring its Sun. The Iranian government is likely to undergo a great deal of confrontation and face a strong rebellion. Any future trajectory will depend on the outcome of these battles.

With his administration inheriting the vast swath of destruction left in the wake of eight years of George W. Bush’s profligacy and irresponsibility, President Barack Obama has faced the sobering challenge of rectifying a huge, multi-layered mess. Obama has been working tenaciously to get the nation’s finances in order, rebuild America’s reputation in the world, and disengage us from two costly and mostly counter-productive wars. His efforts have been obstructed at every turn by an obsessively partisan and short-sighted Congress and a powerful right-wing media machine led by FOX News and Rush Limbaugh. In the past few months, however, the president seems to have sharpened his game enough to win some significant battles with his relentless foes.

Beginning in early September 2011, Obama aggressively began to retake control of the narrative, focusing on the need for jobs and other help and protection for the middle class, while the Republicans in Congress have become more and more transparent in their support of policies that only advantage the very rich. This seems likely to be the theme that will run right through the November election. We can attribute this more assertive mood to the president’s progressed Moon leaving the watery and emotional sign of Pisces and entering the fiery and daring sign of Aries, where it will remain for over two years. In addition, his increasing poll numbers and successful initiatives of late are described by his progressed Sun square to natal Venus, triggered by both transiting Jupiter (through 1/23) and transiting Uranus (through 2/1/12).

The Uranus activity, however, also adds an element of unexpected and upsetting events that have the power to alter the political, emotional, or diplomatic landscape. The transit of Uranus square to the president’s Venus (1Cancer47) runs through the entire month of January. Thus far, it has brought several jarring and unanticipated events: the resignation of White House Chief of Staff William Daley; the publication of a book critical about Michelle Obama (president’s Venus); stepped up Iranian rhetoric threatening the Strait of Hormuz and the world’s oil supply; the Iranian death sentence of a supposed US spy, a former marine visiting his Iranian grandmother; and the virally-spreading photo of US marines urinating on dead Taliban soldiers. No doubt this list will grow in the coming weeks.

Another element often found during a Uranus transit is a willingness to break boundaries and act outside the more conventional norms. The president’s recent recess appointments, despite the manipulative Republican pro-forma session, are an example of this.  Moreover, the current Mars station is conjunct Obama’s natal Mars (22Virgo33) from January 8 through February 3, signaling a very aggressive stance and the potential for significant confrontation on a number of issues. The increasingly hostile relationship with Iran, with its attendant threats and military posturing, is one such issue which is likely to escalate further in the next three weeks.

From February 7 through March 5, the planet Uranus will once again come strongly into play, again bringing unexpected events and transformative, upsetting situations. From February 7 through February 29, Uranus (3 Aries) will be square to the US Venus (3Cancer06) for the final of three crossings; and from February 14 through March 5, Uranus will oppose the Ascendant of the US solar return chart (3Libra26) and square the Ascendant of Obama’s solar return chart (3Cancer23). The last time Uranus transited this degree was during the entire month of August 2011. Early in the month, transiting Mars (3Cancer) triggered these charts while squaring transiting Uranus and opposing Pluto (5Capricorn), unleashing the debt ceiling debacle and the downgrade of US credit. Later in the same month, the Mercury station (18Leo45) was in a prolonged sesquiquadrate to transiting Uranus during which the nation experienced the massive flooding and chaos of Hurricane Irene.

The coming Uranus transit of February and early March 2012 will have no major triggers like the one in August, suggesting that the situation will not be quite as extreme or dramatic. Nonetheless, Uranus does cause upsets and tends to shake up the status quo when it strikes, and the inclusion of the Ascendant in the US solar return in this configuration points to something that will directly impact some part of the US population, possibly again with a weather event of some significance.