Yin Yang Destiny
Ketu and Rahu
Every good story has a snake, and the birth chart has a snake leading us to our destiny. The tail of the snake is called Ketu and it’s where our journey begins, and the head of the snake is called Rahu and it’s where our journey takes us.
Ketu and Rahu are not planets; they are the lunar nodes and they lie across from each other on the zodiac. If Ketu, the south node, is in Cancer, then Rahu, the north node, will be in Capricorn.
The symbol for Ketu (KE) is a horse shoe facing the sky, and the symbol for Rahu (RA) is a horse shoe facing the ground. Many birth chart calculators will only show Rahu on the birth chart, the direction we’re meant to go, but Ketu always lies directly across from it.
Unlike the moon and all the planets, the lunar nodes move clockwise. They move slowly and take 18 months to transit a sign; so even if you don’t know the exact time of your birth and you replace it with noon, the nodes will be almost exactly where they were when you were born.
Destination: Capricorn
Chart of the 14th Dalai Lama, born July 6, 1935, 4:38 am, in Tengster Village, Tibet (Astrotheme.com)
Don’t look inside the wheel or you’ll get dizzy. Just walk around with me. As you can see, my ascendant sign (AC) is also my sun sign; the orange circle with a dot is my sun. I’m a Cancer, and I’m one of the lucky ones not scratching my head wondering whether I’m my ascendant or my sun sign. Pluto in red is right beside my sun. Pluto is the planet of transformation, and I underwent an unbelievable transformation at age 2 when I was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama.
Leo is in my second house, and so is the planet Venus in pink. I treasure what is rightfully mine, and I love beautiful things that shine like the sun, but in my life, I have had to let go of all my possessions. It hasn’t robbed me of my self confidence, not at all. My people depend on me remaining confident.
Virgo is in my third house of daily interactions, and in my case, of interviews, chats and conferences. I have the Moon and the trident which is Neptune in Virgo. The Moon is our soul, and Neptune is the planet of spirituality, and my daily life has to with spiritual matters. I take the time to put my thoughts into words, spoken and written.
Libra is in my fourth house along with Mars, the warrior. The fourth house is our home and homeland, and I have fought for my homeland all my life, peacefully and diplomatically, as befits Libra.
Scorpio is in my fifth house of interests, and I have Jupiter in Scorpio, and Jupiter is a planet that attracts more to it. Astrology and studies of the occult have always fascinated me.
Sagittarius is in my sixth house of work, and Sagittarius is the sign of religion and acquiring knowledge through exploration. My faith is my life, and I have had the opportunity to travel and to teach all around the world.
Capricorn is in my seventh house of relationships, and here lies Rahu, my destiny. If I have kept Buddhism alive and strong despite the loss of my homeland, it is because I have learnt to relate with the simplest of people and with people holding the highest positions in government in every part of the world. India took me in, and the rest of the world welcomed me as a guest. If Capricorn has been my destiny, Cancer is where I began my journey. Cancer is the sign of home, of protection from life’s abrasions, of seclusion from the harshness of life. It was at home, in my monastery that I learnt everything I needed to know to become the spiritual leader and head of state of Tibet. Never did I think that I would have to leave the security of my land and seek protection in another. I took one step out and life pushed me ten steps into the world. I remain a simple monk, but a simple monk with wordly connections.
Aquarius is in my eighth house of crisis and transformation, and Aquarius rules events that open chakras. The invasion opened all of my mine; it made me drop to the ground and ask for help to keep Tibetans safe. Aquarius also rules the spread of knowledge, and because of the invasion, Tibetans have spread Buddhism to every corner of this earth. Aquarius rules the outsider, those unwilling to abide by the rules of society and those pushed out. The invasion of Tibet turned me into an exile, but Leo, lying across from Aquarius, has been my medicine, and I have never lost heart.
Pisces is in my ninth house, and Saturn is there. The R beside Saturn means that Saturn was retrograde and appearing to move backward when I was born. Planets in retrograde are closer to the earth, without the cushion of the Sun standing in between. When planets are in retrograde, their energy upon us is stronger and they demand that we work harder. Pisces is our connection to the spirit world, the world we come from and the world we return to. Saturn demands that I be disciplined in my spiritual studies and in my practice.
Take a peek inside the circle, and see the blue line connecting Jupiter in Scorpio and Saturn in Pisces; that’s a 120 degree trine. I find joy digging deep into the mysteries of the invisible world. Now look at the red lines connecting the Moon and Neptune in Virgo and Saturn in Pisces; that’s a 180 degree opposition. Whatever I speak and write has to be in accordance with my truth, but simplified and made accessible to everyone.
Aries is in my tenth house of vocation and here I stand, the leader of my people, a peaceful warrior, undefeated. I am empowered by my inner strength and the strength of the people who share my beliefs. I may be the last Dalai Lama, I do not know, but I will ensure that if my reincarnation is recognized, that they be recognized as dictated by the traditions of Buddhism and not the country that occupies my land. The Dalai Lama will never be a puppet.
I am a spiritual man of this earth, and I am nothing without my community. Taurus is in my eleventh house of community and Taurus is the earth we live in. People from around the world are my community. The planet Uranus, ruler of Aquarius in my eighth house, is in Taurus, and it connects my eighth house to my eleventh. It was the invasion of my country and my exile that turned me into a global man.
Uranus is currently transiting Taurus, and I had my Uranus return when I turned 84 on July 6 of this year.
Gemini is my twelfth house, and Mercury, ruler of Gemini, is in my twelfth. This is the house I came to master, the house of meditation, of connecting with our soul, of connecting with each other on a soul level, of having compassion for all sentient beings, without judgement, like a true Gemini.
My whole chart has fed my life direction, my Ketu Rahu. Ketu is where I received and continue to receive all that I need for the journey I’m on; the memory of my homeland, my responsibility to it and to the teachings of the Buddha. Ketu is my Yin. Rahu is my Yang, my destiny; a life of relationships, with heads of state, public figures who spread the word of my teachings, and with students of Buddhism. My relationships are professional and fatherly, in the style of Capricorn.
Destination: Gemini
Chart of J. K. Rowling. Born July 31, 1965, 9:10 pm, in Yate, England (Astrotheme.com)
My first house begins in Aquarius, encompasses all of Pisces, and ends in the middle of Aries where the arrow is. It is a vast first house making me inventive, artistic and imaginative, and fierce. I have Saturn retrograde in my first house, and Saturn makes me put double the effort to succeed in my endeavors. The rewards I get for my work are well deserved; nothing has come to me for free.
My second house of self-worth and possessions begins in Aries and ends in Taurus. Now that I am rich, I spend boldly and impulsively to live in beautiful, lush surroundings. But the combination of Aries and Taurus played out differently when I was younger; Aries gave me the courage to leave a bad marriage and to go on welfare to feed myself and my child. I didn’t have the resources, so I went out and got them. Survival kicked in and pride did not get in my way.
Taurus and Gemini are in my third house of daily living, and the rulers of both signs, Venus and Mercury, are in my seventh house of partners and relationships. Most of my daily communications and interactions are with people in my seventh house.
Gemini is in my fourth house of home, and I have Jupiter there giving this house importance. Rahu is also there, and Rahu is my destiny. Gemini is the sign of multiplicity and Jupiter’s presence multiplies its multiplicity. My destiny is to have multiple homes, to be invited and welcomed into multiple homes. The ruler of Gemini is in my seventh house, and it is through people in my seventh house that I am fulfilling my destiny. My Ketu Rahu journey began in Sagittarius, in my tenth house of career and vocation. It began when I wrote my first Harry Potter book. I created a fantastical world, and the more I fed it, the closer I got to fulfilling my destiny.
My fifth house of what brings me joy begins in the final degrees of Gemini and ends in Cancer. Gemini is the sign of the mind, and Cancer is the sign of the soul. I find pleasure creating stories and writing them. I put my soul into my stories.
My sixth house of work begins in Cancer and ends in Leo where my Sun is. My Sun is in its own sign and this is the house I came to master. I work from home and I work in public spaces where I’m noticed. I have fun feeling people’s eyes on me, wondering if I’m writing a new book, and what is it about. I never say what it’s about; Cancer makes me secretive about my work. Leo makes me labour hard and shine at it.
My seventh house is as vast as my first, and I have a stellium there. A stellium is a group of 3 or more planets making a house a power house. My seventh house is my power house and my source of inspiration. Mercury, Venus, Uranus, Pluto and the Moon are in my seventh house attracting all sorts of personalities into my life. Saturn in my first house stands in opposition to my planets in the seventh, keeping them disciplined. If it weren’t for Saturn, I’d probably plan a heist; there’s the audacity of Mercury, Venus and her attraction for objects of value, risk-taking Uranus, Pluto and his love of the underworld, and the secrecy of the Moon. Really, the perfect team to pull it off. Instead, Saturn draws the energy of the stellium into my first house, and with this energy, I do the next best thing; I create characters and write magical books.
With the success of my books, the planets in my seventh have connected me with movie producers and fashion designers and more. Jupiter in my fourth house squares my seventh house planets with 90 degree angles that you see in red. He makes me consider the offers of turning my books into movies and making me look more elegant. Fame, he says, is what will make me a citizen of the world, and fame will put my books in every home.
Most of my houses are in between signs like my books are in between worlds. Libra and Scorpio are both in my eighth house; signs that were once a part of each other come together in my chart; the body of the scorpion and the claws of Libra. Mars, ruler of Aries in my first (and second house) is in Libra, and Neptune, ruler of Pisces also in my first, is in Scorpio. The two planets join my first house and my eighth house together. The eighth is about crisis and transformation, the occult, psychology, surgery, things that bring you under to be reborn again. I have an interest in eighth house matters and the eighth house is what my books are about; add the action of Mars in a fair and just house, the illusions of Neptune in the still waters of Scorpio, and characters derived from the planets in my seventh, and you have my wizarding world.
The ninth house is about higher knowledge and I have Scorpio and Sagittarius in my ninth. I like to explore what lies beneath people’s fears. I like to explore different cultures and belief systems. This house enriches my books.
Sagittarius is in my tenth house of vocation, and I found my true vocation in 1990 with the idea of a story that would have universal appeal. Sagittarius is a sign of universality, and Harry Potter has become a universal story. The more I fed the story, the closer I got to Rahu.
Whichever house Rahu is in our birth chart, we may experience something deeply felt, a hurt, maybe a loss, and our destiny helps us heal the wound we carry in that house. Perhaps the Dalai Lama lamented not being able to experience a more normal life, a married life, and his destiny extended to him the love and friendship of the world to heal his wound. For me, I felt the loss of home and place of nurture when my mother was diagnosed with MS; but my destiny has brought me people who nurture me and my craft to heal the wound I carry in my fourth house. Many homes for me represents many places of nurture.
Sagittarius and Capricorn are in my eleventh house of community. Sagittarius has literally opened the doors to a community of fans from different cultures and backgrounds, and the ruler of Sagittarius is in Gemini in my fourth house. My destiny is to meet as many fans as I possibly can in my life. Capricorn too has brought me a community that I rub elbows with as an established writer.
I have Capricorn and Aquarius in my twelfth house, and it is here where I dissolve my ego and let go of a lot of the money I’ve made. My twelfth house is my house of philanthropic work. Capricorn keeps a check on my finances and advises me how much to give, and Aquarius helps me choose the charities that will benefit the most from my donations.
Destination: Taurus
Chart of Tim Horton, born January 12, 1930, time unknown, in Cochrane Ontario
Whenever you create a chart without a time of day, not even noon, the ascendant sign is replaced with Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. I think that the best thing to do when the time of birth is missing is to go with the sun sign as the first house. In this case, Capricorn as the first house. The ascendant sign reveals our lives from a higher perspective; it’s how we present ourselves to the world and how others see us. The sun sign reveals how we experience our lives through the ego; it’s how we see ourselves.
I know that I died in a car accident, driving intoxicated, but that’s a matter between me and god. You’re here to look at the beauty of my birth chart, the beauty of my life and my destiny. I became one of the great hockey players in this country, and my name is everywhere.
Capricorn is in my first house of self and I have a stellium there; my Sun, Venus and Mars, and Saturn. I had the strength of character to make the sacrifices I needed to make to have a strong body. Only a person with Venus conjunct Mars in the first house can fight an opponent with a bear hug that traps you. If you’ve got love and war flanked by the Sun and Saturn, you’ve got yourself a deathly bear hug.
People wonder where I got the idea of building upper body strength; it still wasn’t knowledge available to all in the air we breathed. Let me tell you that it came from discussions I had at home about how to improve my game. Aquarius is in my second house of self worth with Mercury there, and Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, is in Aries in my fourth house. There is a sextile, an angle of 60 degrees in blue, between Uranus and Mercury. A sextile is vibrant energy, and vibrant discussions at home gave me flashes of insight on how to build my core strength.
Aquarius is a humanitarian sign, and I shared all that I did to improve my game, all the knowledge I possessed with anyone who cared to know. There’s a trine, a 120 degree angle in blue, between Mercury in my second house and Jupiter in my sixth house of work. I was greatly valued for my independent mind and for the new ideas I brought to the game of hockey.
There are 90 degree squares in red between Uranus in my fourth house and planets in my first; that’s my fiery mother with her pioneering mind encouraging me and pushing me to break free from home. Be a warrior, she said; up your game and get out of Cochrane. It was in my home town that I lay the foundations for my success. A sextile between Uranus in my fourth and Jupiter in my sixth shows support coming from home for the work I did. Every aspect on a chart goes both ways, and I too supported my home in return.
Gemini in the sixth house is a busy house of work; it also shows more than one source of income. I have Jupiter retrograde in my sixth, giving me the stamina to become a big league player, and giving me luck and protection as well. This doesn’t mean I wasn’t injured playing hockey; I was, many times, but I always recovered and went back to the game. Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius, lying across from Gemini in my twelfth house of dreams. I made my dreams become a reality in my sixth house, not just through hard work; I also had the intuition of my Moon in Gemini. I played every game one step ahead of everyone else.
With Cancer in my seventh, I married a woman who reminded me of home. There’s a saying that goes, men marry their moms, which of course isn’t true for all men, but for Capricorns it is; unless they have Uranus in Cancer and they marry the opposite of mom. I actually have Pluto in Cancer opposing all my planets in my first house. One on one relationships nurtured me, made demands of me, and transformed me; my teachers, my coaches, my friends, my wife. I’m sure that I had an effect on them as well.
If you have a secretive sign in your eighth house of crises, nobody would find out you were having one. But I have Leo in my eighth house, and every crisis I had was in the spotlight. Leo is ruled by the Sun and the Sun is in my first house, which tells you that my crises had to do with body injuries.
Virgo is in my ninth house of beliefs, aspirations and acquiring knowledge, and Neptune is retrograde there. Neptune is the planet of spirituality, dreams and illusions, but when it is retrograde and in a practical sign like Virgo, it keeps you down to earth. I entered my ninth house to understand the world of business. Neptune rules Pisces in my third house of daily interactions and brings my third house into my ninth. I found people interested in partnering with me easily, and I ventured with them into different businesses, until I found success in coffee and doughnuts.
Libra is in my tenth house of vocation, and Libra is a sign of diplomacy and elegance. Venus, ruler of Libra, is in my first house of self, and she also rules Taurus in my fifth house of children, self-expression and joy. I would say that my vocation was to shine playing a rough game as fairly and as elegantly as possible, and that includes pillow fights.
If Rahu is in Taurus in my fifth house, then Ketu is in Scorpio in my eleventh house of the communities I belonged to. I went from belonging to a small community to belonging to my country, and in Scorpio, it’s a possessive and protective country. The more I satisfied the expectations of the people in my eleventh house, the more I fulfilled my destiny which was simply to do what I loved doing, and be remembered for it. Taurus is the sign that rules history and the places we preserve it; libraries, museums, halls of fame, coffee and doughnut shops.
Destination: Aries
Chart of Céline Dion. March 30, 1968, 12:15 pm, Charlemagne, Québec (Astrotheme.com)
The ‘cusp’ of a house is the initial point where a house begins. A house that begins in Leo and ends in Virgo has the cusp in Leo. For a more general look at a chart, you can just look at the sign on the cusp of each house.
Having the Sun and Saturn together in one sign or in one house can be a tough experience when you’re young. The Sun is who you are, and Saturn puts restrictions. Saturn can represent an authority figure who is critical of you, or who puts limitations to protect you. I saw it in Tim’s chart. His Sun and Saturn in the first house gave him power and focus when he grew older, but they may have undermined him and hurt him when he was young. The Uranus squares coming from the fourth house to his planets in the first may have pushed him too hard to be a better skater, a better player. Those squares may have caused the wound we see with Rahu in his fifth house of joy, and of playing hockey for the love of the game. The intentions of the Saturn figure in his childhood may have been good, and may have done good, but they left a mark that his destiny helped him heal.
That has been my experience. I have a Saturn, Sun and Rahu conjunction on my MC. The Midheaven or MC (Medium Coeli or middle of the sky) is the highest point in your birth chart. The MC on my chart marks the cusp of my tenth house of vocation and reputation in the world. Even if my Sun is actually in the ninth house, the five degree separation from the MC brings it into the cusp of my tenth house in Aries. My tenth house is my destiny, and my destiny has helped me heal a wound left by an authority figure who told me that I wasn’t good enough. Ultimately, my Sun and Saturn have given me the courage to accept myself and be myself. I have proven that I’m good enough, like Tim proved he was.
I have the stellium of a diva in my tenth; a Sun Saturn Rahu conjunction, and a Moon and Mars conjunction. What’s more, I was born a couple of hours after a new moon in Aries, when the Moon began to grow again and bumped into Mars. My Moon Mars conjunction makes me an extremely emotional person. I express myself from the soul with the drive of Mars. That’s also how I sing.
I was born to be on stage. Leo is my ascendant sign, and the Sun, ruler of Leo, is on my MC in Aries. That’s the highest stage you can get on. Leo is also on the cusp of my second house of assets, and I have Jupiter there trining my Moon Mars conjunction in my tenth house. My voice is my biggest asset, a gift from Jupiter; it is unique and it commands attention. The songs that I sing successfully are the songs that mean something to me and move me in some way.
In a woman’s chart, Jupiter represents the husband, and my husband was the man who helped me grow my self confidence. There is a 90 degree square in red between Jupiter in my second house and Neptune in Scorpio in my fifth house of joy. Neptune is the planet of romance and dreams, and in Scorpio, they are fervent and could stay on a platonic level if it weren’t for the force of Jupiter making them come true. There is a trine in blue between Neptune in my fifth and my Venus Mercury conjunction in Pisces in my ninth house of higher learning. I made my dreams of happiness come true by taking lessons to become a professional artist. Venus and Mercury together in Pisces can mean many things; graceful movement, perfecting a language, fine tuning a voice, and a melodious declaration of love.
A Uranus Pluto conjunction is raw energy; it is something unusual that sets you apart but draws people to you at the same time. People born in the 60s have this conjunction in Virgo, and the 60s was all about flower power. It set the youth apart from the establishment but had an influence as well. I have a Uranus Pluto conjunction in Virgo in my third house of daily living. I spent my youth singing for small engagements in my community, and people recognized the potential in my voice. They began to show me off, and the planets did their magic. Pluto, ruler of Scorpio, brought my fifth house into my third; Uranus, ruler of Aquarius, brought my seventh and eighth house into my third; and Mercury, ruler of Virgo, brought my ninth house into my third. The people in my community stirred the energy that would transform my life and bring me to stardom.
I now spend every day maintaining my voice. There is a 180 degree opposition in red between my Uranus Pluto conjunction in my third and my Venus Mercury conjunction in my ninth. The opposition shows tension in a chart that keeps you working, improving and moving with the times. What feeds this opposition in my case is fear. A quincunx is a 150 degree angle between planets, and quincunxes can show hidden emotions. I have a quincunx in green between Pluto in my third and my Moon Mars conjunction in my tenth house. In shadow, Pluto can denote fear, and with the Moon and Mars, a secret fear of losing what has brought me prominence.
My Ketu Rahu journey has taken me from my fourth house of home and roots to the tenth house of my vocation. I could not reach my destination without remaining loyal to the place I come from. The cusp of my fourth house is in Libra, and Libra is the sign of diplomacy and partnerships. I have a partnership with the people who nurtured me first.
Destination: Cancer
Chart of the LRT. Open to the public on September 14, 2019, 2 pm, Ottawa
If you’re a Sagittarius and Jupiter’s in your first house, better watch how much you eat. Jupiter is expansive and your first house is your body. I have Jupiter in Sagittarius in my first house and I’m pretty big; I may be getting bigger too. It all depends on whether the squares to my fourth and tenth house will allow it. Personally, I think they will. Squares can stimulate growth.
Sagittarius is the sign of the globe trotter, but I’m more like a city trotter. I love my city, and I know it better than most; you could even say that I know it inside out.
Capricorn is in my second house, and I have Saturn and Pluto there and both are retrograde. I’m working hard on my personal worth and assets; making improvements. This is the house where most of my transformations will take place, and this is the house I need to work on to get to my destination. Ketu is here, and Rahu lies across in the sign of Cancer in my eighth house. The eighth house is many things, underground things like crises and the occult, but also debt and managing other people’s money. My destiny is to get rich on other people’s money. The wound in my eighth house is debt, and getting rich would heal it.
Aquarius is in my third house and Aquarius makes me a progressive thinker. I think green; green energy, clean air and recycling.
Pisces is in my fourth house with Neptune and the Moon. Pisces is already a permissive sign, and with its ruling planet and the Moon, it’s very permissive. Everyone is welcome into my home; ordinary people, extraordinary people, artists and musicians, everyone please come in and take a seat.
Aries is in my fifth house of joy, and Uranus is there; what can I say, I’m electric!
Taurus in my house of work gives me endurance, and Gemini in my house of relationships helps me get along with everyone. I’m easy going as long as everyone abides by the contract.
Cancer is in my eighth house and Rahu is on the cusp. Cancer is a protective sign and I protect the people who come into my life. But I charge a fee for my protection, and I count on it to reach my destination.
Leo’s a sign that labours to shine and Leo’s in my ninth house of higher knowledge. I’m aiming to be the best that I can be. In fact, Virgo’s in my tenth house and my vocation is to be super efficient. The Sun and Mars give me power and drive, and Venus conjunct Mercury make me swift and smooth and on time. There are many opposing red lines between the public in my fourth house and my efficiency. You must have heard about those; they’ve been all over the media. Then there are the squares I spoke about earlier, from my fourth and tenth to my first house, considering my growth. The reason why I think I’ll continue to grow is because of the trines in blue connecting my second house and my efficiency. I’m fixing glitches and resolving my issues; the more I do, the more vibrant the sextile between my second and fourth house will be.
Libra assures me that the complaints and compliments I get from my community will always be fair; and last of all, there’s Scorpio in my twelfth house of rest. Scorpio’s high maintenance so looks like I won’t be getting much of it.
Destination: Libra
Chart of Michael Jackson. Born August 29, 1958, 7:33 pm, Gary, Indiana (Astrotheme.com)
The birth chart is a blueprint of the forces in your life. Transits of the planets in the sky trigger points in your birth chart to bring change and evolution into your life. A Mars return during childhood will do something completely different than it will when you’re an adult.
You can’t really know someone by looking at their chart, but you can understand their general makeup. In the end, everyone holds their own story.
Thanks for that. I’ve always felt uncomfortable having my birth chart available to everyone. Glad to know it’s just a blueprint cause I’ve always been a private man. You can go ahead and read it for me now.
Your ascendant sign is Pisces-
Wait. I’d like to read it first, from my sun sign.
Of course.
I’m a Virgo Sun and my Sun is conjunct Pluto, which explains the deep transformation my body has gone through. Libra’s in my second house, and with Rahu and Jupiter there, my destiny has been to focus my life on building my self esteem and self worth through collaborations. I’m the creator of my work, but none of it would be possible without the people I work with. Scorpio’s in my third house with Neptune there, and Neptune connects my third house with Pisces in my seventh. Two water houses joined by a water planet, and the Moon is there as well! Water is the element of the artist. I interact daily with people in the music industry. Music is my life.
Sagittarius is in my fourth house, and I traveled a lot with my family for work gigs, which explains Saturn in Sagittarius. Growing up, my home life was very structured, and work was a priority. Even during my free time, I practised my music and my dance movies. Capricorn in my fifth talks about constructive fun. It is through all my hard work that I have revolutionized the music industry, and it is no wonder that Aquarius, sign of the revolutionary, is in my sixth house of work.
Here’s a bit of my personal life. Aries is in my eighth house, and Mars connects it to Taurus in my ninth. I learn about eighth house matters; transformations interest me; watch Thriller and you’ll know what I mean. I have undergone multiple surgeries to transform my body. Ketu is in my eighth house, and the more I feed it, the closer I get to my destination in my second house. All my life, I have suffered from low self esteem; I blame it on my father for robbing me of a carefree childhood, and I blame it on a country with a history of slavery. My wound in my second house is low self esteem. To heal it and to feel beautiful and worthy, I need to shed my skin.
Gemini is in my tenth house of vocation, and I have two; my music and my body. I am multifaceted. It’s when I retreat into Leo in my twelfth house that I am happiest. This is where I create my music and transform my body. Mercury, ruler of words, and Venus, ruler of beauty, are behind the scenes together with Uranus, and Uranus is a radical planet. Uranus brings my sixth house of work into my twelfth. When I step into the light of my first house, you see a different me, you see my Sun conjunct Pluto.
Cancer is my community, and Cancer is home and homeland, but for me, Cancer is music. If Scorpio is connected to Pisces by Neptune, then both are brought into Cancer by the Moon. Like I said, music is my life and water is my element.
Okay; you can now read it from the ascendant. Tell me how I present myself, how people see me.
Destination: Libra
Chart of Michael Jackson. Born August 29, 1958, 7:33 pm, Gary, Indiana (Astrotheme.com)
Pisces and Aries are in your first house of self, and what worries me is that Ketu is right on your Black Moon Lilith, at 23 degrees of Aries, across from Rahu in Libra. The Black Moon is the shadow side of one’s personality, and it can point to where one can fall into addiction. By feeding your Ketu, you may be falling into addiction.
Mars, ruler of Aries, is in your second house and joins your first and second. You’ve talked about having low self esteem, and Mars in Taurus tells me that your low self esteem is due to your sexuality and your body. Mars is a sexual planet, and Taurus, joined to the first house, is your body. You’ve been working on your body, transforming it to fulfill your destiny in Libra, in the seventh house of relationships. I can see that your wound is very deep; your Rahu is conjunct Jupiter, and Jupiter enlarges anything it touches. Your wound may have to do with never having felt true companionship and intimacy. Your destiny is to get married, have children, your own family.
But the problem that I see is that by feeding Ketu, you may fall into a trap. Neptune and Jupiter in the eighth house are the rulers of Pisces in your first. Neptune and Jupiter are powerful planets and they may drag your first house along with your second into your eighth house of transformation. So instead of transforming your body to fulfill your destiny, you may end up making transformation itself your destiny. Surgery and transformation can become an addiction.
Leo and Virgo are in your sixth house of work and you have a grand stellium here; Uranus conjunct Venus, Mercury, and the Sun conjunct Pluto. Here is where you shine; this is the force behind your success as the King of Pop. You’re a moonwalker, a magician, a shape shifter on stage. You bring the dead back to life; you awaken your audience. You’ve explored a whole range of emotions; from the lightness of a child to the violence of a destroyer. You’re right; you’re multifaceted.
In fact, you’re a phenomenon. Sagittarius is in your tenth house of vocation, and Sagittarius is the sign of beliefs, religion and philosophy. It is the sign of the priest, the guru and the preacher, and of a phenomenon called Michael Jackson. You’ve become a field of study, and Saturn in Sagittarius brings your eleventh house into your tenth. Your community is made up of fans, followers and disciples.
The symbol for Black Moon Lilith is a crescent standing on a cross. Like the lunar nodes, it is not a celestial body but a mathematical point. The moon travels around the earth in an elliptical orbit, and the point where the moon is farthest away from the earth is called the apogee. Black Moon Lilith is the point between the earth and the apogee. Michael Jackson’s BML is in Aries and points to shadows (self-consciousness, obsessions, temptations) in matters of the first and second house; self image, self esteem, sexuality. Black Moon Lilith is where we’re most vulnerable.
Destination: Pisces
Chart of King George VI of the United Kingdom. Born December 14, 1895, 3:05 am, Sandringham House, Norfolk (Astrotheme.com)
You could say that this chart is the opposite of Céline Dion’s chart. The Sun and the Moon, Saturn, and the three personal planets, Mars, Venus and Mercury, are in two private houses; self, and self worth and possessions. In Céline Dion’s chart, the Sun and the Moon, Saturn, and the three personal planets are in two public houses; higher learning and vocation. Even the destiny points are in opposite houses; here, it is in the fourth, and in Céline’s chart it is in the tenth. Before you look at the position of the outer planets, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto, you have to see where Jupiter is; he’s our protector, bestower of gifts, and he’s the one who crowns you king or queen.
I’ve been told that any planet at five degrees of any sign is sexy. Venus at five degrees of Scorpio is very sexy, and in the first house, it makes a person physically sexy. That would be me. Venus adorns me at five degrees of Scorpio in my first house, but I had a stammer that made me shy. Unlike Céline, I was born on a waning moon, just before a new moon, and you could say that I was more at ease in silence.
Saturn in the first house speaks about physical limitations, and mine was a stammer. The Moon conjunct Uranus shows you how I felt about it. The Moon is your soul and Uranus can be an outcast, and my stammer made me feel like an outcast. Rahu in Pisces in my fourth house of home points to a wound of not belonging to the place I came from. My destiny was to have a career that would help me heal this wound and bring me home.
Jupiter is conjunct my MC in Leo in my tenth house, and Jupiter rules Sagittarius in my second house of self-worth and Pisces in my fourth house of home. It pulls both houses into my tenth and does not allow me escape; I was the son of a king, and self-worth, home and homeland were tied together. My healing had to come from the wound itself.
Jupiter trines Mars in Sagittarius and here lay the answer to the career I would pursue. Mars is the planet I derived my self-confidence from, and it pulls Aries in my sixth house of work into my second house. I was a natural athlete; I had a strong body and I enjoyed sports, and I was not shy here. There is a square in red between Venus and Jupiter bringing me passionate women who would help me break away from shyness, and another square between Saturn and Jupiter brining me people in authority to help me break away from limitations. I excelled where speeches were not required of me. I joined the navy first, but Mars in Sagittarius gets seasick in the ocean, so I tried the air force next, and this suited me better. I served my country as a pilot during WW1 and this brought me closer to my destination.
Mercury and my Sun are also in my second house of self-worth, and they are in opposition to Neptune and Pluto in Gemini in my eighth house of solving problems. The red lines of opposition between the planets demand that I improve my ability to speak, and in Gemini, they demand speech therapy. Pluto and Neptune brought me other therapies as well that helped me heal on a soul level from the inhibitions of the stammer, but it was hard core speech therapy that really prepared me for the next stage in my life. When I was ready, the sextile between Gemini and Jupiter in Leo was activated.
I became king following my brother’s abdication on December 11, 1936, three days before my solar return. It was as if the power of a double sun in my second house pulled my whole chart into Leo in my tenth house; the Sun, after all, rules Leo. By then I had gained enough self-confidence to become king and to lead my country during dark times. I led with the right amount of words. Jupiter prepared me and the Sun crowned me. When the war ended, I was home.
When you look at your birth chart, you’re standing on planet earth looking at the imprint of the planets on the day you were born. Above is the sky and the transiting planets moving over your birth chart, triggering points to bring change and evolution into your life. On the day that King George VI was born, Leo was on the Midheaven, but on the day he became king, Sagittarius, his solar sign, was on the Midheaven. He was born with the Sun at 21 degrees of Sagittarius in his second house, and he became king when his Sun was conjunct the MC at almost the same degrees of Sagittarius.
Chart for December 11, 1936, 12 pm, London, England
Destination: Aquarius
Chart of Xi Jinping. Born June 15, 1953, time unknown, Beijing, China (Astrotheme. com)
I’m going to begin by saying that I have powerful protection, so do not try to harm me. Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius in my seventh house, is in Gemini, my solar house. When the ruler of the seventh house of partnerships and contracts is in the first, it’s like having bodyguards guarding you. Jupiter, however, is not a personal planet, so these are not personal bodyguards I’ve hired; no. Sagittarius represents belief systems, religion and the law, and Jupiter is the law maker. In my country, I am the law maker, and the laws of my country protect me.
Unlike Bertie, I did not have to wait to become king. I was born a king with Jupiter and the Sun together in my first house. I was destined to become a great leader, a leader with multiple roles from the beginning. Jupiter enlarges anything it touches, and as you can see, I have a big ego; but Jupiter in Gemini also makes me a very clever man, adept in the use of language. I do not lead my people; I romance them with the Chinese Dream. A blue trine between my Sun and Neptune conjunct Saturn in Libra in my house of romance shows you how I lead. Neptune is a dream, and Saturn takes away the fantasy and makes it a serious dream. The way my people and I will make this dream a reality is with a red square between the Dream and Mercury conjunct Uranus in Cancer.
Mars, ruler of Aries in my eleventh house, pulls my community, my homeland into my second house. I measure my self-worth by the economic growth of my country, and the Dream is revitalizing growth. Mercury conjunct Uranus in Cancer means many things; information technology and innovation, a space program, inventors, scientists and engineers, trading in the stock market, revolutionaries and counterrevolutionaries, geniuses, outcasts and hackers. The red square between the Dream and this conjunction purges the bad and jumpstarts the good.
The result of my leadership and romance with this land is that I am loved. There is a blue sextile between Jupiter and my Moon at 5 degrees of Leo in my third house; the law maker and his public. When I go out into my community, people embrace me with their love. They have turned the places I have lived and worked into shrines. The more I do for my country, the more I feed my Moon of emotions and my Ketu. Ketu is conjunct my Moon, and Rahu, my destiny, lies across from Leo in Aquarius in my ninth house.
Before I go to Rahu, let me share a secret with you. My Moon has brought me more than just the love of my people. The square between my Moon and Venus in my twelfth house talks about secret and sensual love affairs in Taurus.
Aquarius is a humanitarian sign. It rules systems that do not have a centre of power. Universal health care and the internet are Aquarian; so is communism in its ideal form. It is in Aquarius in my ninth house of beliefs that I am wounded. Communism in its imperfect form destroyed my family, inflicted suffering and humiliated me. You can read about my life in Wikipedia; I have banned it in my country but I know it’s accessible in yours. To belong here, I had to accept communism and its imperfections; a hard pill to swallow. But what I now know is that no country is perfect, and this is the only country I have. I’ve worked hard to reach my position, and I intend to make the most of it. My destiny is to leave my mark as the leader of an influential and futuristic China, and to become a ninth house prophet. To do this, I’m implementing a Dream, and I’m transforming my past, glorifying it and healing from it. Pluto in my third house is helping me with this, and so is the waxing Moon.
Destination: Virgo
Chart of Barnett Newman. Born January 29, 1905, time unknown, New York City
I believe that your whole chart comes alive only when you find your true calling. Until then, certain aspects will light up in isolation to help you along the way. Growing up, the aspect that was most active in my chart was the blue triangle joining Saturn in Aquarius, Jupiter in Aries, and Pluto in Gemini. I spent hours at home studying the mystical teachings of the Jewish Kabbalah. I was pretty fervent about uncovering the mysteries of my religion. I measured my worth by my intellect and my capacity to understand. When I finished high school, I went to study philosophy in university, thinking that I would teach when I graduated. Scorpio’s in my tenth house of vocation with Mars, its traditional ruler, and I thought of myself as a spiritual warrior; I still do.
My life changed direction in university when I took an art class. I found that colours could express the essence of the ideas I was exploring better than words. When the art community became my new community, my chart began to sing in unison. The trine between Mars in Scorpio and Neptune in Cancer in my sixth house of work lit up. Creating spiritual art was my true calling. The trine between Venus and the Moon in Sagittarius lit up as well, and I began sharing ideas with other artists. It was a wonderful period of growth.
The problem was that my paintings weren’t selling. I had to leave the art community and join my father’s factory that manufactured clothing. In a moment of silent rage, because Venus in Pisces is silent when she rages, I destroyed all my art work and fell into depression. That’s the wound I have in Pisces, the wound of not being considered good enough in my true calling. My Ketu’s close to Lilith where I’m most vulnerable.
Depression can silence a chart, until rescue comes. Annalee rescued me. She was an art teacher that I was in love with. We got married and she supported me so that I could paint. I found that retreating into my twelfth house would bring me inspiration. I would go for long walks, and something unexpected would light up the lines opposing Mercury and Uranus in Capricorn and Neptune in Cancer, and I’d know what to paint. Like the time when the flashing lights of a police cruiser reflected on a young man’s face inspired Voice of Fire; and the time when zipping up my primary jacket against the wind inspired Who’s Afraid of Red Yellow and Blue.
My paintings began to sell, and as my confidence grew, I started making my way to Rahu in Virgo in my eighth house of uncovering mysteries. Virgo likes simplicity, clarity, and I became bolder and began using pure colours that played against each other. It’s when you quiet your mind to understand a painting that you uncover mysteries.
Destination: Leo
Chart for Singing Grass. Born August 11, 1980, 12 pm, Ottawa, Ontario
Like Barnett, I’d call myself a spiritual warrior too; there’s an arrow and a trident together in my birth chart aiming for the skies. Sagittarius, the centaur on a quest, is in my house of worthiness, and he’s got the blessing of Neptune, the planet that connects us to the gods. Neptune trines my Sun in Leo, and Leo’s in my power house. I have the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Rahu together in Leo in my house of vocation. My destiny is to enlighten people, to answer any questions or concerns they may have. Do you see Mercury’s antennae? Those antennae connect him to the gods. I’m like Mercury; I’m an Oracle. I was born soon after a new moon in Leo, when the moon began to make itself visible. My vocation is like that moon; I take people out of darkness and bring them to the light. If they don’t know where they left their passport, I tell them where to find it. Like Leo and the Sun, I make people happy.
When I was a kid, my parents corrected me time and again for calling on people for telling lies, and for saying out loud what people hid and left unsaid. You can blame it on Scorpio in my first house; Scorpio’s the sign that sees beneath the surface, and I saw what people didn’t want others to see. I had to learn what I could say and what I had to keep to myself; I had to learn to be silent. This added to a wound I carried in my house of home and roots where Ketu is. My wound was in my appearance. I have Uranus in Scorpio, and Uranus in the first house can make you stand out in some way; something unusual about you that calls attention. For me it was my height. I was tall and angular and maladroit, and people at school made fun of me; it affected my performance.
Yoga changed my life and put me on the path to my destiny; yoga made me strong and graceful. The spirituality that comes with yoga fits in nicely with Pisces in my house of enjoyment, and it also helps with my sense of worthiness. As I grew older, I took the yoga way of life into my house of beliefs. Cancer’s in my house of beliefs, and Cancer’s a sensitive and caring sign that embraces Yoga. Venus in Cancer connects my house of beliefs to Libra in my house of retreat, and I practised yoga and meditation and went on spiritual retreats. I prepared to become a yoga instructor.
It was on a spiritual retreat that I found my true calling, and it involved my ability to see beneath the surface, enhanced by my spirituality, as well as my body. The two things that had made me feel like an outcast when I was young became my gifts. A planetary transit, perhaps a Mars return, must have triggered my Mars and woken Pluto up to take me to the next level. Mars pulled Aries in my house of work and Pluto pulled Scorpio in my house of self into my twelfth house of retreat. Libra’s in this house, and Libra’s a sign of pairs, of doing things together with another, and I was paired with a bird. This is what happened.
I had been thinking of staying in the place I was; it felt like home, and I went for a walk to meditate on it. As I walked, a black crested cardinal flew by my side and I followed it. It led me to a lush field of wild grass, and I was tempted to walk into the field and meditate in the grass. I was tall enough to do this comfortably, so I did. The wild grass gave me the answer I was looking for; it told me to stay. When I shared what happened with the other members of my group, they encouraged me to try it again. They gave me a question I did not have an answer for, and I went off to the fields with the cardinal. I asked the grass, what will the resort serve for dinner tonight, and the grass answered, shepherd’s pie. The answer was right, and I became the town’s Oracle.
Ketu took me to Rahu, and I am now here happily married. Aries and Taurus are in my house of marriage, and I’m married to a fire fighter who’s hot tempered like Aries and who takes care of me like Taurus knows how. My new community is made up of people that Jupiter and Saturn in Virgo attract; health conscious, aware of their astrology, and on a quest, like me.
Destination: Scorpio
Chart for Coco Chanel. Born August 19, 1883, 4 pm, Saumur, France (Astrotheme.com)
When you look at my chart, you see a woman of the eighth house, a woman who answers the calls of the sirens in the house of forbidden pleasures. I have a stellium there; the Sun and Venus in Leo, and Uranus and Mercury in Virgo.
The Sun and Venus in Leo make the perfect combination of a performer, but in the eighth house, the performer is a courtesan, and in my case, a mistress. Becoming a mistress is an eighth house agreement; it’s not a contract and it’s not kept secret. I have been the mistress of wealthy men, lived in their chateaus and been introduced to the highest echelons of society. These are the men who have helped me establish myself as a fashion designer.
Uranus and Mercury in Virgo connect me to the spirit of the times, and they help me come up with creations based on my experience in the eighth house. I hope they will be of service to you. What could possibly be of service to you from this scandalous house, you ask me. Well, I’ve gotten rid of the corset in my designs. I’ve freed a woman’s body and made her sexuality available to her with elegance. I’ve also given her an eighth house siren call that is quiet and seductive, so that she may experience a little bit of what I experience here.
You can interpret my stellium in other ways as well; being a mistress sets me apart, makes me an outcast, a rule breaker; being the mistress of a German officer makes me a Nazi collaborator.
Although the eighth house is my source of love, financial support and inspiration, the impropriety of my life there stains my career. I’ve tried to change the story of who I am, but the Sun shines too bright in Leo and does not allow it. I’m meant to keep going my destiny’s way, toward Rahu in Scorpio in my tenth house of career and vocation despite the stain. Scorpio asks for self-acceptance, and I look back at Ketu in Taurus in my fourth house to see if I can accept myself.
I grew up in an orphanage run by a convent, and my fourth house shows that beautifully. Neptune is in Taurus; a house of god. But before my fourth house was a house of god, it was a house of loss. My mother died and my father left me in the orphanage. Abandonment can leave a deep wound; it can make you look for love in the wrong places. But they turned out to be the right places for me; the trines and the squares from Neptune to my eighth house prove it. I crossed the line of what is considered proper, and found out that a woman has more freedom of self-expression on the other side. I’ve put that freedom into the clothes I make, and I carry them to Scorpio.
The journey from Ketu to Rahu can include another house, and wounds can lie on either side of the journey. This is my experience.
Destination: Sagittarius
Chart of Jim Henson. Born September 24, 1936, 12:10 am, Greenville, MS (Astrotheme.com)
Hi ho, Kermit the Frog here, and today we’re going to talk about Ketu and Rahu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrWuFUSELrg
Ketu’s the dream and Rahu’s the destination.
Jim has Ketu in Gemini in his twelfth house, and Gemini won’t let him sleep, so he makes up funny characters and skits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pigcahytIH8
He now has to figure out how to get them all to Rahu in Sagittarius in his sixth house of work. He asks Mars and Mars says,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z5R_FRhgGQ
So he partners with his wife and turns his characters into The Muppets.
Cancer is in Jim’s first house, and he’s a sensitive guy. Pluto in Cancer makes him a bit of a shaman. He senses what people need, and what people need is laughter. The Moon, ruler of Cancer, is in his sixth house of work, and he’s going to be putting his shamanic sensibilities into his work.
Leo in his second house makes him believe in himself and in life. He trusts that life will take him in the right direction. Mars in Leo connects his second house to Aries in his house of vocation. His talents will influence his vocation.. The Sun, ruler of Leo, is in his third house, and he has the support of the people around him.
Neptune too is in his third house, and Neptune in Virgo is not a dreamer. Neptune in Virgo is the practical artist; the one who looks around the house for the materials he needs, and goes out and buys whatever he can’t find at the local store. He then gets down to work and puts it all together to make a puppet. He does such a good job, that he travels to Europe to explore the art of marionettes and puppetry. Neptune opposes Saturn retrograde in Pisces in Jim’s house of higher learning, pushing him to make the art of puppetry his own.
Venus and Mercury retrograde are in Libra in the house of his foundation. Venus rules Libra and makes this a solid foundation in the arts, in partnering with others and in peacemaking. Mercury retrograde makes you pay closer attention to details, fix problems and tie lose strings. Jim’s ready to work with people; he’s a leader but he’s not a one-man show.
Scorpio in his fifth house connects this house to Pluto in his first and Mars in his second. Both Pluto and Mars are at 28 degrees, and 28 degrees is when a planet is at its strongest expression. Jim’s pastimes are in tune with who he is and with his talents. He’s putting his talents to good use. He’s on a mission to create something that will have the drive to carry on without him, and it will be in the spirit of Sagittarius.
Jupiter is in Sagittarius in his house of work, and Rahu is also there at 28 degrees. This is the house Jim came to master and here’s where his destiny lies. Jupiter in Sagittarius is optimism, humour and inclusion, and Jim will be putting all of these things into his work, into his puppets. Neptune and Saturn square Jupiter and bring the art of puppetry into this house. Pluto and the Moon will guide his hand when he creates them and when he writes their skits and songs.
There are trines in his chart between the Moon and Uranus, Uranus and Neptune, and Mars and the Moon. Trines show an easy flow of energy that allows ideas to manifest. Jim’s profession will evolve from a simple puppet show to The Muppets. He will draw inspiration from the people around him and the people he works with. He will take traits of different personalities and turn them into muppet characters that are funny. And he will do all this when he can’t fall asleep; when he’s with Ketu in Gemini counting sheep.
Destiny: NIght
Chart of Chris Hadfield. Born August 29,1959, time unknown, Sarnia, Ontario (Astrotheme.com)
My Ketu is in Aries, in the sign of self-discovery, and my Rahu is in Libra, in the sign of partnerships.
In my birth chart, Aries is in the eighth house, and so the focus is not on self-discovery but on the discovery of eighth house matters. In my case, Aries has given me the drive and eagerness to discover the secrets of our universe. The more I feed this drive and eagerness, the more I will have to share with you. My journey begins with Ketu in Aries and it’s the part that you don’t see; the fear, the sweat and labour, and the doubts of whether I’m good enough. What you see is what I bring you when I’m with Rahu in Libra, in my second house of talents and accomplishments. It’s in Libra that I share my accomplishments and my experience with you, and I do it with elegance. Libra asks that I spare you all the crass details, that I be considerate of your sensibilities, and that I be mindful of the repercussions anything I say may have.
Mars and Venus, rulers of Aries and Libra, are in my solar house. They are far enough from each other to negotiate the energies between them, to find an equilibrium between work and self-pampering, and work and love, so that I don’t burn out. My Sun in Virgo makes me a man of service because Virgo is a sign of service. Pluto is conjunct my Sun, and I could have been a shaman, and in a way, I am one. Pluto is a planet that brings us experiences that transform us, and shamans are transformed by their experiences with the spirit world. I myself was transformed when I became an astronaut and left the earth; there’s a spiritual dimension to space travel. A shaman transmits what they learn from the spirit world through stories, and that’s exactly what I do; I tell you stories of the things I learn in space. Shamans bring the spirit world closer to people, and I bring space closer to people. There’s a need for this because we’re entering the age of space.
Mars and Pluto, rulers of Scorpio, connect my solar house to my third house of neighbourhood, siblings, and daily life. I am a product of my surroundings; I grew up among people who supported my dreams of becoming a pilot and an astronaut. Jupiter and Neptune, rulers of Pisces, connect my third house to my seventh house of partners and relationships. The most significant people in my life are from my home town, and that includes my wife, my high school sweetheart. Pisces is unbounded love; it’s the love King George VI yearned for, and that he got from his people when he proved he was a good king. I got it from the beginning, from childhood, and it made me want to prove that I was worthy of it. Jupiter in my third house also rules Sagittarius in my house of home and homeland, and Sagittarius is always ready to fly.
You don’t get to goof off on the weekends if you want to fly the aircrafts I’ve flown. With Saturn retrograde in Capricorn in my fifth house of fun, I was training on the weekends. Saturn trines my Pluto-Sun conjunction, which tells you that I wanted to train every spare moment I had; there was something the experience of flying gave me that I needed. It was intensity; I needed the intensity and challenge of the experience. Pluto is an intense planet.
Saturn rules Capricorn as well as Aquarius in my house of work. It ties what I love to do with the work I do. Aquarius rules anything that requires electricity; it rules machines and robotics. It rules the science of astronomy and astrology too; Pisces rules the sixth sense you need to feel a person through a birth chart, but Aquarius rules the technique. It also rules flight and space travel, and those are the things I do. I have an Aquarian mind.
I was born when Venus was retrograde, and if you look at my solar house, I not only have a Pluto-Sun conjunction, but Venus is also closing in. It’s a triple conjunction. This does many things to me, and one of the things it does is that it gives me a pleasant look, and people find me familiar; they’re at ease asking me questions about space. On a more personal note, Venus retrograde makes me particular about my appearance. Have you seen my moustache? It’s pretty well groomed. That’s a Venus retrograde moustache; it’s my distinguishing feature.
Venus ties Taurus in my house of higher learning with Libra in the house of my destination. When I share my experience of living in space, I express myself with the qualities of Libra as well as with the qualities of Taurus. I keep things simple and to the point. I demonstrate what I’m talking about or show pictures of it. I stick to what’s factual and concrete.
If Uranus, modern ruler of Aquarius in my house of work, were alone in Leo in my twelfth house, you’d tell me that, for some reason, I cannot disconnect from my work even when I’m on holiday, and you’d ask me if I work online. But Uranus is not alone in Leo; Mercury, ruler of Gemini in my house of vocation, and ruler of Virgo in my solar house, is conjunct Uranus. I identify with my work and people identify me with it. The work I do is in the Aquarian field and I do it when I retreat from the world. I could be a spy. I could also be in exile or in prison or in hospital for the work I’ve done, and this would happen when the twelfth house is triggered by a transit. But Leo is in the twelfth house and Leo is a beautiful place. So chances are I’m working in an Aquarian field in a beautiful place away from the world.
Even if my work is away from the world, I’m visible. The Sun, ruler of Leo, pulls the twelfth house into my first, and Mercury, ruler of Virgo, pulls my first house into my twelfth. The Sun and Mercury join the two houses together, and the place away from the world becomes a stage, and I become the main protagonist. My Sun at 5 degrees of Virgo asks for centre role.
Libra in my second house is where transmission takes place. I’ve partnered with my son to share videos from space in response to questions people have about the work I do. My public has grown from my homeland to include the world. A square between Uranus-Mercury and Jupiter in my third house asks for more; send us more videos; show us more of what you do. My Moon is in Cancer in my house of the groups I belong to, and the Moon in its own sign makes it a powerful house. I have inadvertently mastered this house. I belong to my country, to NASA and to the ISS.
When I’m in Libra, I make living in the ISS look easy and effortless. All the effort I put into making it look easy lies back with Ketu in Aries. Aries and Mars demand perfection; they demand Arete, and only the best go to space. I started my journey wanting to discover the secrets of the universe. I’m not closer to knowing what’s behind it all, but I can show you how happy I am to be here.
I was born on a waning moon, and I consider myself a person of the night. I’ve had to conquer the instinct of not putting myself in danger; a primal instinct. I’ve had to give in to my fear of dying; that’s what shamans do; they let transformation happen. The rigorous training I’ve had has put me in life or death situations, and I’ve worked on not losing my cool. Before you became aware that I existed, I was working internally, psychologically, on my ability to stay alive in space; you stay alive by not fearing death.
Destiny: Day
Chart of Justin Trudeau. Born December 25, 1971, 9:27 pm, Ottawa, Ontario (Astrotheme.com)
Unlike you, Chris, I haven’t always held the reins of my life; so much of it feels fated.
I’m going to read my chart from my solar house, like you did.
I’m a Capricorn Sun, and I employ a lot of people. Saturn, ruler of Capricorn, is retrograde in Gemini in my sixth house of work and it makes me pay close attention to gender and diversity. There should be an equal number of men and women working for me, as well as people of different backgrounds.
Aquarius is in my second house, and Aquarius is the sign that taps into the future. Venus in Aquarius tells you that I take pride in my forward thinking, not just about gender and diversity, but also about the environment. Venus trines Saturn, traditional ruler of Aquarius, in my sixth house, as well as Pluto in my tenth house of vocation. My forward thinking informs my place of work and my vocation; it’s my biggest asset.
Pisces is in my third house of daily life, and Pisces is a loving sign. Mars in Pisces connects my third house to Aries in my house of home and homeland, and Jupiter and Neptune, rulers of Pisces, connect my third to Sagittarius in my house of travels. People care about me where I live, where I grew up and where I’ve travelled; not just because of who I’ve become, but because they remember me as the child of a prime minister who made a splash. I grew up in the public eye, in the arms of my dad. There’s an opposition between Pluto in my house of vocation and Mars in my house of daily interactions; that’s pressure for me to make something out of my position of privilege.
Taurus is in my fifth house of enjoyment. I enjoy outdoor sports and good nutrition. I believe that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, and I believe in sensual romance; touch is important. Venus, ruler of Taurus, draws my fifth house into my second house, and I present myself as a fit man who is one with nature and who romances his wife. My body is also an asset.
Cancer in my seventh house is connected to my fourth house by its ruler, the Moon. My partners and relationships have ties to my home and homeland. I can count on them; they stand by me and comfort me during difficult times.
Leo’s in my eighth house, and like Tim Horton, every crisis I go through ends up in the papers. Leo likes the stage.
Virgo in my ninth house tells you that I’m pretty down to earth when it comes to my beliefs. The earth, in fact, is what I care about.
I have two outer planets in Libra in my tenth house of vocation; Pluto and Uranus. They trigger the changes that take place in my career. Here’s where my transformations take place. I’ve gone from being the son of a famous prime minister, to being a high school teacher, to becoming prime minister myself. Libra’s about partnering with others, and people have come into my life to guide the steps I’ve taken to play the role I’m playing.
Uranus in Libra opposes my Moon in Aries and keeps my life an open book. The Moon is where we keep things hidden or would like to keep things hidden, but Uranus prevents me from doing that. That’s what I mean when I say that I don’t always hold the reins of my life. My home isn’t my private home; my story is my country’s story.
Scorpio is in my eleventh house of the social groups I belong to, and it’s connected by rulership to my house of vocation and daily life. Black Moon Lilith is in this house, and it’s here where I’m most vulnerable. Scorpio can protect you with its sting or it can sting you. It usually does both things to me, like a child being chastised but still loved. I’m a product of this land, after all.
Sagittarius in my twelfth house is both my inspiration and what gets me into trouble. I’m fortunate to have such a rich house of retreat with three planets there; fortunate to have travelled all over the world and met with the highest dignitaries as a child and as an adult. Travelling lets you leave your identity behind and become someone else. I like pretending to be someone else; merge with the people. Neptune stirs my imagination, Mercury opens my curiosity about others, and Jupiter in Sagittarius makes me overly enthusiastic. I’ve let my imagination run wild when I’ve stepped into my twelfth house, and sometimes I’ve taken it too far; I’ve overdressed the part. Saturn opposes Neptune and asks that I put my imagination to good use. As a result, I first became a drama teacher, and then a prime minister with a diverse cabinet.
Ketu is in Leo in my eighth house of crisis and Rahu is in Aquarius in my second house of assets. My journey begins with the exposure of my mistakes by others, and my open and sincere apologies. When I apologize and am absolved, I absolve the country of its past and move it forward to Aquarius, our future.
I was born on a waxing moon; a public figure. When the exterior world asks that I change my ways, I listen and I change my ways. I feel fated to do what I’m doing; I’m here for a reason.
Destiny: Day
Chart of Justin Trudeau. Born December 25, 1971, 9:27 pm, Ottawa, Ontario (Astrotheme.com)
I’m a traffic cop, so when I started studying astrology, I compared the aspects on a chart to the effect my traffic signals have on you. Sextiles are the relief you feel when I make the left turn signal; trines are the ease of flow you feel when I signal you to go, go, go; squares are the disappointment you feel when you think you’re free to go but I ask you to stop; and oppositions are the shame and guilt you feel when I blow my whistle and give you a ticket.
I happen to be black, and when I saw our prime minister wearing blackface, I thought I’d take a look at his chart to figure out exactly who’s running my country.
There’s a triangle in the centre of his chart made up of trines; an easy flow of energy from Saturn retrograde in his house of career and vocation, to Pluto in his house of self-worth and possessions, to Venus in his house of the things that bring him joy, and back to Saturn. He’s got the green light to have a vocation that will enhance his self-worth and make him happy.
The triangle in his chart is a triangle of success, and it connects the three air signs; Gemini, the sign of making connections; Libra, the sign of diplomacy; and Aquarius, the sign of the future.
There are sextiles bouncing around this central triangle, stimulating each other. There’s one from Saturn to Mars, Mars to Venus, Venus to Neptune, and Neptune to Pluto. Lots of left turns that bring him opportunities.
Saturn is in Gemini in his house of vocation. Mars is in Pisces in his house of crises, investments from other people’s money, psychology, the occult, and all things hidden, including illegal activities. Venus is in Aquarius in his house of pleasure, romance and children. Neptune is in Sagittarius in his house of home and origins, and Pluto is in Libra in his house of self-worth and possessions.
So far, this man’s the ideal statesman. He has people believing and investing in him; he has the support of the people he loves, and the faith and confidence of his upbringing. But nobody’s perfect; we all have our character flaws.
Uranus in his second house opposes the Moon in his eighth house, and he gets tickets for hiding things about himself and the groups he belongs to. The Moon can hold secrets, and Uranus can bring people who rummage through our secret drawers, surprising us with what they find.
Pluto in his second house opposes Mars in his eighth house, and he gets tickets for going against his spiritual beliefs, and for obfuscating the truth. Fiery Mars in Pisces, a water sign, can show deep spiritual beliefs, as well as the inability to be forthright. Fiery Mars in Pisces in the eighth house of hidden things may require a person to repeat slogans, lie or stay tight-lipped, but Pluto can bring people who dig until they uncover what lies hidden.
Pluto and Mars send squares to his Sun in Capricorn, asking him to Stop and tell the truth. His Sun sends the same squares right back at Pluto and Mars in self defence.
That’s when the Saturn-Neptune opposition is triggered. Saturn, the disciplinarian, is conjunct his Midheaven, the highest point in his chart. Neptune, planet of spirituality, in Sagittarius, the sign of faith, brings out his highest self. The opposition asks him to step forward with clarity and authenticity, and with an apology when needed.
Even if Virgo is his ascendant sign and Capricorn is his sun sign, the sign he came to master is Sagittarius in his fourth house of home, origins and foundation. Sagittarius is the centaur in search for wisdom.
Jupiter, ruler of Sagittarius is in its own sign, and Mercury and Neptune are also here. Mercury brings in Virgo in his first and second house of self and self-worth, and Mercury brings in Gemini in his tenth house of vocation. Neptune and Jupiter bring in Pisces in his seventh house of partners and relationships. Sagittarius in his fourth house is where his strength is; who he is, his self-worth, his vocation, and the people he can trust share the faith and optimism of the sign. Neptune gives him a vision for a better future; Mercury puts him on the journey; and Jupiter gives him the resources to implement his vision. Jupiter is a bountiful planet.
After his apology for blackface, the prime minister had a Jupiter return. Jupiter was exact at 21 degrees 02 on October 19, 2019. It was still at 21 degrees of Sagittarius on the day of the elections, but on this day, it was conjunct Sagittarius Ascendant.
Jupiter teaches us lessons and keeps us on the right path. Jupiter also gives us second chances to take the reins of our destiny and make things right.
Chart for October 21, 2019, Ottawa, Ontario
The Ketu and Rahu journey in his chart begins at five degrees of Leo and goes toward five degrees of Aquarius. Five degrees of Leo is in his eleventh house of the social groups he belongs to, but only one degree away from his twelfth house of retreat. Five degrees of Aquarius is in his fifth house of joy, but only one degree away from his sixth house of work.
He can choose a journey marked by Leonine twelfth house travels that call attention to his global, Aquarian ideals, and he can choose a journey that keeps him at home. His eleventh house begins in Cancer and ends at six degrees of Leo. Cancer is the sign of home. His fifth house begins in Capricorn and ends at six degrees of Aquarius. Capricorn is a realistic sign that implements ideas and visions realistically. The search for wisdom matters to Sagittarius, and the end results matter to Capricorn.
The more attention he pays to Cancer and his community at home, the closer he gets to having what brings him happiness in Capricorn; healthy children and healthy pursuits in a healthy country; his country and mine.
Synastry
Libra and the Louvre
In November 1982, Saturn crossed paths with Pluto in Libra. Pluto is a slower moving planet and it had been in Libra since 1970. Saturn entered the sign a decade later and was conjunct Pluto at 27 degrees of Libra before moving into Scorpio.
Chart for November 7, 1982, 12:00 pm, Paris, France. Saturn conjunct Pluto at 27 degrees of Libra
Chart for November 29, 1982, 12:00 pm, Paris, France. Saturn entering Scorpio at 0 degrees
Saturn is structure and Pluto is change and transformation. When the two planets cross paths every 38 years, they signal structural changes in areas ruled by the sign they’re in. The changes are not sudden and out of the blue; they are changes that have already been under discussion with the entry of Pluto, and they begin to be implemented in the months following the Pluto Saturn conjunction. In Libra, the changes are societal changes and changes in aesthetics. Libra rules arrangements between people to improve life, and the arrangement of form to create something beautiful.
When Saturn entered Libra, François Mitterrand became president of France. His ascendant sign is at 3 degrees of Libra, and Saturn was at 3 degrees of Libra when he took the presidency. He was the person who brought about structural changes to French society that were triggered by Pluto and Saturn. He also embarked on a number of grand cultural projects, one of which was the renovation of the Louvre. He offered the commission to the architect I. M. Pei in January 1983.
The Louvre is Libran architecture in every way. The wings balance and echo each other. The patterns on the façades are rhythmic and uniform. The eye knows what to expect.
It’s beautiful outside, but in 1983, it was a labyrinth inside. Mitterrand needed someone who could modernize it and he found that person in Pei. There was synastry between them. Mitterrand and Pei were born a year apart and belonged to the Uranus in Aquarius generation. They were visionary men, unafraid of change and innovation.
With the Moon at 23 degrees in Libra, Mitterrand felt he could only take action after reaching a consensus, but reaching a consensus about the Louvre became an impossible task. The Ministry of Finance had occupied the Richelieu wing of the Louvre for two centuries and refused to move, and there was no room in the other two wings to bring out the collections in storage, to add restrooms and other facilities that would update the museum.
Chart for François Mitterrand, born October 26, 1916, 4:00 am, Jarnac, France (Astrotheme.com)
Across from Mitterrand’s Moon, Pei has Mars at 23 degrees in Aries. He had the strength Mitterrand needed to force the Ministry of Finance out. There was no other way to get the job done. The three wings would now hold art, and a glass and metal pyramid would serve as the main entrance.
Chart for I. M. Pei, born April 26, 1917, time unknown, Guangzhou, China (Astrotheme. com)
Whenever Mitterrand’s Sun in Scorpio expressed the concerns of the people of France about having a ‘monument for the dead’ in the middle of the Louvre’s courtyard, Pei’s Sun in Taurus reassured it; the pyramid is not so tall; it will not diminish the grandeur of the Louvre; the glass will be completely see-through; it will not tint the colour of the original buildings; we will add multifaceted rooftops to the wings to complement the pyramid.
For the duration of the Louvre works, the two men dipped in the waters of the abzu to maintain their faith, and walked together toward Rahu in Capricorn, materializing a dream. When the pyramid opened on March 29, 1989, Pluto in Scorpio sextiled Saturn in Capricorn.
Capricorn and Brexit
How a conjunction will affect us personally depends on where it’s taking place in our charts. A Pluto Saturn conjunction in Capricorn in the tenth house may forecast a change in life direction. We may have applied for a new job, and we get it. In the ninth house, it may forecast a graduation and starting a new program of study.
That’s what’s happening in the sky right now; Saturn is about to cross paths with Pluto in Capricorn. The exact conjunction will be at 22 degrees of Capricorn on January 12, 2020.
Pluto entered Capricorn in 2008 and Saturn entered Capricorn in December 2017.
Chart for December 31, 2019, 12:00 pm, Ottawa, Ontario
In a general sense, a Pluto Saturn conjunction in Capricorn signals structural changes and transformations in areas ruled by the sign. In essence, Capricorn is about nurturing an individual to reach their full potential. When we labour to reach our full potential, we stand at the peak of a mountain. This has translated into Capricorn ruling hierarchical structures, like corporations, government, the police and the military. But really, Capricorn rules effort, and not losing faith, not giving up.
The biggest structural change waiting to happen in January 2020 is Brexit, and many people have put a lot of effort into it.
The UK joined the common market on January 1, 1973, when the Sun, Jupiter and Rahu were in Capricorn. At the time, this is where the UK was meant to travel. Joining a common market is the beginning of many changes about to happen to a country.
Chart for January 1, 1973, 11:00 am, London, UK
Three dates were set for the UK to leave the EU in 2019, and each date passed with the UK still tying loose ends and not leaving yet. On all three dates, March 26, April 12, and October 31, Pluto and Saturn were not more than 5 degrees apart. A five degree separation between planets is broadly considered a conjunction, a merging of energies, a preparation for the exact conjunction, the exact date of graduation.
The date for Brexit is now set for January 31, 2020, after the Pluto and Saturn conjunction, post graduation. On January 31, Rahu will be in Cancer, in the sign across from Capricorn where it was in 1973. The UK will be heading from Capricorn to Cancer, from the EU back to focus on the homeland, and it will carry all the experience it gained being part of a common market
Chart for January 31, 2020, 11:00 am, London, UK
When the UK joined the common market, Jupiter was at 17 degrees of Capricorn, and on January 31, 2020, Jupiter will be at 13 degrees of Capricorn; 4 degrees and 3 weeks away from an exact Jupiter return. Jupiter returns every 12 years to the place he was when we were born, when our creations were born; he checks on us, puts us on the right path, and rewards us for our efforts.
Jupiter protects the earth with its gravity; it attracts meteorites and other space debris away from the earth. A Jupiter return is considered a good omen, a protective omen; in this case, a good and protective omen for the UK. Jupiter attracts followers, and others may follow the UK’s example and begin preparations to leave the EU.
Richard Gere and the Dalai Lama
Gere met the Dalai Lama in 1982 in Dharamshala. He was already practising Zen Buddhism, but when he heard the Dalai Lama’s public talk on Tibetan Buddhism, it struck a chord. The meeting radically changed his life. He became a student and close friend of the Dalai Lama, and an activist to free Tibet.
Chart for Richard Gere, born August 31, 1949, 2:00 am, Philadelphia, PA (Astrotheme.com)
Chart for the Dalai Lama, born July 6, 1935, 4:38 am, Tengster Village, Tibet (Astrotheme.com)
Gere’s Saturn in the third house of daily living and the Dalai Lama’s Saturn in the ninth house of knowledge oppose each other and learn from each other. The Dalai Lama teaches Buddhism and Gere puts these teachings into a daily practice that is disciplined. The Sun conjunct Saturn in Gere’s third house shows rigour and discipline. The two men have had an ongoing conversation about the practice of Buddhism since 1982, the year Pluto and Saturn met at 27 degrees of LIbra.
27 degrees of Libra in the Dalai Lama’s chart is on the cusp of his fifth house of joy and children. 27 degrees of Libra in Gere’s chart is in his fourth house of home and foundation. The relationship between the two men resembles the friendship between a father and son.
Out of all the friendships the Dalai Lama has formed during his time in exile, his friendship with Gere is the jewel in the crown. Gere has been the force behind the International Campaign for Tibet, an organization set up to preserve the culture and religion of a country now occupied by China.
Gere has Mars in his first house. Mars rules Aries, and Aries is in his tenth house of vocation. He is a self made man. He stands up for himself and for the things he believes in with courage, strength and determination. His Mars opposes Jupiter in his seventh house of relationships at 22 degrees of Capricorn. A grand relationship informs and transforms him and his direction in life. His destiny is intertwined with the Dalai Lama’s destiny. The Dalai Lama’s Rahu is also in the seventh house of relationships at 22 degrees of Capricorn. Time will tell what the Pluto and Saturn conjunction at 22 degrees of Capricorn will mean for both of them.
https://www.dalailama.com/videos/his-holiness-in-conversation-with-richard-gere
Children born in 1982
Chart for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, born January 9, 1982, 7:00 pm, Reading, Berkshire (Astrotheme.com)
Chart of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, born June 21, 1982, 9:03 pm, London, UK (Astrotheme.com)
There are 4 angles in a chart, the ascendant, the descendant, the Midheaven or MC, and the Imum Coeli or IC.
William’s MC is at 2 degrees of Scorpio. Scorpio in the highest point of the chart is power in the external world. Jupiter conjunct his MC adds to his power. Kate’s IC is at 5 degrees of Scorpio and Scorpio in the lowest point of the chart is internal power. Her IC is conjunct Jupiter which adds to her power. The two charts complement each other.
Her Sun in Capricorn and his Sun in Cancer illuminate each other from across the zodiac. Their Moons in Cancer unite them; they feel the same way about things, and they are highly intuitive. He was born on a new moon and she was born on a full moon. She doesn’t need to explain because he reads her.
They both have Mars, Saturn and Pluto in Libra. They have the drive, discipline and adaptability to work with others and to learn from others. His focus is on the ninth house of higher knowledge, and her focus is on the third house of daily life.
Capricorn is 90 degrees away from Libra in the birth chart, and planets in Capricorn can square planets in Libra. The current Pluto and Saturn transit happening in the sky in Capricorn is in William’s first house of Self, and it’s squaring his natal Pluto and Saturn in Libra in his ninth house of knowledge. A square is pressure and preparation for change.
For Kate, the current Pluto and Saturn transit happening in the sky in Capricorn is in close proximity to her natal Sun in her fifth house of children, and on the cusp of her sixth house of work. The transit is squaring her natal Pluto and Saturn in her third house of daily activities. A square is pressure to adapt to added responsibilities and change.
The pressure for change may be coming from Self in William’s case, but it is also coming from the Queen. The Queen has been delegating responsibilities to her grandchildren and their wives.
The Pluto and Saturn transit is a personal transit for the Queen because it is happening on her ascendant. Her ascendant is at 21 degrees of Capricorn, right where the action is now. She’s feeling the energy of Pluto and Saturn in her Self, her body, her age.
Chart for Queen Elizabeth II , born April 21, 1926, 2:40 am, London, UK (Astrotheme.com)
Chart for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
The Queen’s ascendant at 21 degrees of Capricorn is very close to Kate’s Sun at 19 degrees of Capricorn, and it matches the cusp of Kate’s sixth house of work.
The Queen’s Sun at 0 degrees of Taurus is very close to Kate’s MC, the cusp of her tenth house of vocation, at 5 degrees of Taurus.
When we meet people whose Sun closely matches our ascendant, or whose ascendant closely matches our Sun, we feel a soul mate connection. In this case, the Queen’s ascendant not only matches Kate’s Sun, but her Sun also matches Kate’s MC; they understand each other, recognize each other. A soul connection like this could turn into rivalry, even enmity, but not here. Here, the Queen is Kate’s mentor.
Bill Gates and Microsoft
Pluto holds transformative knowledge, and when Jupiter joins Pluto in the sky, it frees and disseminates that knowledge.
Pluto and Jupiter danced together in Libra in 1981, and in 1981 Uranus was in the final degrees of Scorpio. Pluto held information about matters related to Libra and relationships, and about matters that were in tune with the spirit of the times. Scorpio rules the death and rebirth experience, and that includes the sexual experience. 1981 was the year we began investigating the AIDS epidemic and educating people about it. 1981 was also the year when IBM and Microsoft introduced new technology that would transform the way people related with each other. A different kind of virus would be born with this new technology.
Uranus entered Leo in 1955, when Pluto and Jupiter were dancing together in the final degrees of the sign. In Leo, Pluto held transformative knowledge related to matters of heart and heroic acts, and to matters related to the entertainment industry. Film and television became popular; they helped spread information about the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. If Pluto represents people that are subjugated or enslaved, Jupiter represents movements born to free them. If Pluto represents people that subjugate or enslave others, Jupiter represents movements born to fight them.
Bill Gates was born in 1955 and has the Pluto Jupiter configuration in his second house of resources and talents. In the 1980s, he offered the world a revolutionary way of communicating, and of exchanging and spreading information.
Chart for Bill Gates, born October 28, 1955, 10:00 pm, Seattle, WA (Astrotheme.com)
In July 1980, IBM asked Gates and Microsoft to provide an operating system for a computer, and to adapt it for a PC. Gates agreed and did it successfully. IBM introduced the PC in November 1981 when Pluto and Jupiter danced together in Libra. The exact conjunction was at 24 degrees of Libra on November 1, 1981, and they were only 3 degrees apart on November 18, during COMDEX, the computer trade show in New York. During this time, the Pluto and Jupiter transit in Libra sextiled Gates’ natal Pluto Jupiter conjunction in Leo, bringing him recognition as a major player in the computer software industry.
Chart for November 18, 12:00 pm, New York. The Pluto Jupiter transit at 25 to 28 degrees of Libra sextiles Gates’ natal Pluto Jupiter conjunction at 27 to 28 degrees of Leo.
Today, his company has the power to influence the technology we use. Windows 7 became generally available to the public on October 22, 2009, when Uranus had just entered Capricorn. Support for Windows 7 will come to an end on January 14, 2020, two days after the Pluto Saturn conjunction in Capricorn.
Pluto and Jupiter will be dancing in Capricorn throughout 2020 in forward motion and in retrograde. They will be conjunct at 24 degrees of Capricorn on April 4 and June 29, and at 22 degrees of Capricorn on November 12. 22 degrees of Capricorn is the same degree of the Pluto Saturn conjunction. In Capricorn, Pluto holds transformative knowledge related to corporations and official matters of State, and to matters in tune with the spirit of the times. Uranus is in Taurus, the sign that rules the earth and its resources, history and heritage.
Chart for November 12, 2020, 4:00 pm, Ottawa, Ontario
The grand conjunction
In January 1981, the Canadarm was ready to be trucked to the Kennedy Space Centre, and the following month, it was signed over to NASA. This was also the time when IBM approved and integrated Microsoft’s operating system to the PC.
Before the Canadarm and the PC were unveiled to the world, they were given the go ahead and crowned by Jupiter behind the scenes.
From January to September 1981, Saturn and Jupiter were not more than 5 degrees apart in Libra. New structures were being crowned by Jupiter, before Jupiter made its way to Pluto in November to unveil them and set them free.
The PC made its trade show debut on November 18, 1981, and the Canadarm made its space debut on November 13, 1981 when Jupiter was conjunct Pluto at 9 degrees of Libra. The Canadarm was designed and built in collaboration with NASA as befits Libra, and it transformed Canada’s international reputation. In the spirit of Scorpio, Canada was born into the space age with the Canadarm.
Chart for November 13, 1981, 12:00 pm, Toronto, Ontario
Modifications to the structures launched in 1981 would come with feedback from users in 1982 and 1983, when Saturn and Pluto were close together in the sky.
This year, 2020, the dance between the planets is happening in a different order. It begins now with Saturn and Pluto, and then Pluto and Jupiter will be no more than 5 degrees apart from March to November. After November 12, Jupiter will cross paths with Pluto and join Saturn. There will be an unveiling and setting free before the crowning. The exact Jupiter Saturn conjunction, the grand conjunction, is on December 21, 2020, at zero degrees of Aquarius.
Chart for December 21, 2020, 3:00 pm, Ottawa, Ontario
The conjunction is a grand conjunction because it is the result of three major planets together in one sign over a long period of time. The three planets finalize their time together with a Saturn and Jupiter ingress into Aquarius, and a conjunction at zero degrees. At zero degrees of Aquarius, something new begins.
Synthesis
We cannot predict the future with astrology. We can track the movement of the planets in the sky and the aspects they make to each other; we can learn from the past, and we can feel what the energies will be like, but it’s impossible to match them with the birth charts of all the players on earth. What people do with the energies at their disposal is out of our hands.
Jupiter and Saturn meet in the sky every 20 years. The last time they met, Pluto was not with them. The exact Jupiter Saturn conjunction was on May 28, 2000 at 22 degrees of Taurus. The two planets then moved in close proximity in forward motion and in retrograde between Taurus and Gemini. By April 2001, they were 10 degrees apart in Gemini.
If a Jupiter Saturn conjunction is the crowning of a new plan, then the forward motion and retrogradation that follows is the hard work; the preparation and training, the rethinking and reworking of the plan. In Taurus, the plan can be an amalgamation of resources or a destruction of resources. Ottawa was amalgamated on January 1, 2001, and the twin towers fell on September 11, 2001.
Chart for January 1, 2001, 12:00 pm, Ottawa, Ontario
If there is a dream of a better future in this chart, Neptune holds it in Aquarius. The dream of uniting many small cities under one pot of gold is an Aquarian dream, and it matches the spirit of the times. Uranus in Aquarius propels us into the future, united but unique in our own ways. Neptune trines Jupiter in Gemini. Jupiter in Gemini represents all the people who’ve taken care of all the paperwork to implement the dream. The dream is now a reality, and Pluto in Sagittarius sextiles Uranus, helping us see the positive side of our city’s transformation.
Mars in Scorpio squares the dream, giving us the emotional strength and willpower to deal with it, whether we like it or not. Mercury in Capricorn provides all the information everyone needs about how the city will operate. Mercury and Mars are both cheered on by the Sun. Venus in Aquarius knows best, or thinks she does, and she squares Saturn and Jupiter in protest or in defence of the dream’s implementation; the shortfalls and strengths of the plan. The Moon in Pisces sextiles both Saturn and Jupiter, taking everyone’s complaints and reassuring us that all will be well; it takes time to adapt to change.
Chart for September 11, 2001, 8:46 am, New York
If a chart has angular planets, the angular planets rule the chart. This chart has Mercury in Libra in the AC, and Jupiter in Cancer in the MC. They rule the chart and set the tone. Mercury is our intelligence, and in Libra, it’s our intelligence to relate, our intelligence in diplomacy and justice. Jupiter is religion and the law, and in Cancer, it’s the law of the land. The square between Mercury and Jupiter can mean bringing someone to justice or breaking the law of the land.
Venus is passion and emotion, and in Leo, emotions are on stage or emotions direct heroic acts. Uranus in Aquarius breaks away from tradition and is unique, even shocking. They oppose each other, and something that shocks us can put us into action. Or something done on stage is so shocking, it breaks our spirit.
When Pluto and Saturn cross paths in the sky, they bring structural transformations. In personal charts, people change jobs, move to another city, convert to a different religion, have a sex change, so many possibilities. But in this chart, Pluto and Saturn oppose each other in the sky.
Saturn in Gemini represents structures of communication and information and short distance travel; everyday life. Sagittarius rules faith, belief systems, exploration and long distance travel. Pluto in Sagittarius can bring transformative experiences, and it can also bring dogmatic beliefs. There is pressure to transform from Pluto and pressure to resist transformation from Saturn. The planets can meet half way, but there are also ways out of this opposition in the chart. There is a sextile from Pluto to Mercury to negotiate an accord, and a trine from Pluto to Venus to have a public debate.
The Sun in Virgo squares Pluto and Saturn, and mobilizes people to break the opposition between the planets.
On this day, people tried to resist and tried to use ways out of this opposition, but ultimately, dogmatic beliefs forced change on everyone. We witnessed dramatic displays of violence, and we witnessed heart wrenching scenes of people giving up their lives.
The Moon in Gemini may be caught in the feelings of too many people to act, but Mars in Capricorn is decisive in the actions it will take and it opposes the Moon.
Trines in the chart connect the three air signs, Libra, Aquarius and Gemini. The sextiles from Libra and Gemini bring Leo into a kite formation that encloses the Venus Uranus opposition. The terrorists used the energy of the planets in the kite to achieve their goal; they used skill, knowledge, discipline and decisive action to kill and destroy the hearts of people. People used the same energy available in the kite to stay united and to save lives.
We’re all under the same planets.
“Postcards” 9-11 Memorial, Staten Island, NY
A young man, 23 years old, was writing postcards in St. Peter’s square; he was waiting for the Pope to arrive. When the Pope got close enough, he opened fire.
Chart for Mehmet Ali Ağca, born January 9, 1958, time unknown, Hekimhan district, Malatya, Turkey (Astrotheme.com)
Religion was not the motivating factor behind the assassination attempt. Although Ağca has Jupiter and Neptune in close proximity to each other, faith and spirituality were not his guiding force. HIs Jupiter Neptune combination would not light up till later in life.
The Mercury, Saturn and Mars combination in Sagittarius made him of agile body and willing to take risks. He could have been a great sportsman, police officer, soldier, teacher. Instead, he used his skill set, discipline, courage and willpower to become a mercenary. He was recruited and trained in the use of arms, and he was paid to kill. He had already killed a man and escaped from prison, or was smuggled out of prison, when he got to Rome.
Venus in Aquarius opposes Uranus in Leo in his chart. Aquarius rules free thinking and love of learning; it rules science and technology, and it also rules guns and explosives. Ağca was attracted to weapons. Uranus in Leo can make an unusual hero, like a stuntman or a racing driver, but not in Ağca’s case. Venus sextiles Saturn and Mars in Sagittarius, and Mars trines Uranus. Ağca received training and preparation to become an assassin.
Chart for Pope Paul II, born May 18, 1920, 5:30 pm, Wadowice, Poland (Astrotheme.com)
Pope Paul II was born when planets in the sky allowed the crowning of a person of faith. Neptune and Jupiter were aligned in Leo, and on May 16, 1920, Joan of Arc was canonized in St. Peter’s Basilica.
Pope Paul was born with the insignia of a spiritual leader on a grand stage in his tenth house of vocation. He became the Pope, and like Joan of Arc, he was canonized.
Saturn in Virgo represents structures that are of service to people, and Uranus in Pisces stirs change in the realm of the spiritual. The two planets oppose each other in the sky, resisting change and demanding a break from traditional structures. The Moon in Gemini squares Saturn and Uranus, energizing the opposition, as well as preventing a total breakdown of structures.
He lived with the tension of wanting to break old fashioned rules of the church, but there was pressure within the church for him to uphold them, and he upheld them. The way out of this tension was not to break the rules, but to transform them. Pluto in Cancer, in the sign of home and protection, sextiles Saturn and trines Uranus. Pluto eases the way out of the opposing tension by transforming the rules, opening them up to be more tolerant and inclusive. A sextile from the Moon to Neptune is the approval the Pope receives when he finds a middle ground.
In 1979 he visited Poland, his homeland. He didn’t tell people to break away from communism; he told them to follow the path of god, to stand together in solidarity and to be fearless. He had a gift with words; he could use them to great effect. Mercury and Venus are conjunct in Taurus and they square Jupiter. His passionate words can spark disapproval as well as create a following.
On May 13, 1981, the Pope crossed paths with Ağca.
Bi-wheel synastry chart with Pope Paul’s chart in the inner wheel and Ağca’s chart in the outer wheel
The most powerful alignments between people are alignments that are 5 degrees or less.
Ağca’s natal Uranus in Leo sits on the Pope’s natal Neptune and Jupiter and jars the Pope’s vocation. A man of faith has the attention of a multitude of people in St. Peter’s square, and an assassin shoots and draws attention to himself.
Ağca’s natal Pluto and Moon in Virgo sit on the Pope’s natal Saturn. The Pluto and Moon conjunction in Ağca’s chart show that the transformation he underwent during his training was at a soul level. When he reached for the Pope with his gun, he transformed the way the Pope would perform his service and duties from then on. The Pope would have to stand behind bullet proof glass wherever he went, and he would grieve about it. He had taken pride in being a Pope of the people.
The Pope forgave Ağca from his hospital bed, and went to see him in prison. He asked Ağca to tell him who had ordered the killing, but Ağca kept changing his answer. He was no longer of sound mind, or the training he received did not allow him to reveal the truth.
The meeting with the Pope triggered Ağca’s religiosity; he turned to religion during his time in prison. Ağca’s natal Jupiter and Neptune sit right below the Pope’s ascendant at 27 degrees of Libra. Ağca treasured the Pope’s visit; meeting the Pope was probably as meaningful as meeting the person who trained him to become an assassin. He held on to the memory of the Pope and wrote him letters, but they were not humble letters. He kept drawing attention to himself, prophesying the end of the world and claiming to be Jesus. He crowned himself.
The End