Astrology Articles

Scott Wolfram

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Welcome! Below are a series of short articles relating current events in the world and in the lives of individuals to astrology. I hope you enjoy reading these articles. Please do let me know if you have any questions.

1 - Michael Douglas's Diagnosis

2 - Fidel Castro at His Uranus Return - A Revolutionary No More

3 - Fall Equinox & The Cardinal T-Square of 2010

4 - Rick Sanchez Dismissed From CNN

5 - Venus Retrograde - Three Practical Steps

6 - Transition From Venus To Scorpio - 2010

7 - January 4, 2011 - Solar Eclipse

8 - ....

Blessings and peace, Scott Wolfram

E-mail (Preferred): scott@travelerswell.com; Phone: 805.409.4605

Michael's Sun – Neptune conjunction combined with transiting Saturn and the Great T-Square reveal the story behind his search for the truth.

Just a few days ago, during an August 31, 2010 interview with David Letterman, Michael Douglas announced that he had an advance form of throat cancer. It was only a two weeks earlier, on August 16, 2010 that he learned of the diagnosis. This comes at a time when his work on Wall Street 2 has wrapped and the movie is about to be released.

I have written about Michael and Catherine Zeta Jones in the past (in my Fall 2008 Newsletter archived on my web-site). Based on the fact that they are living on great astrology of location energies (astrocartography, geodetics and local space), I feel they each are living out their birth chart quite effectively and, as I love to say, ‘moving in harmony with the Sun, Moon and stars’.

So, what do Michael’s transits say about the diagnosis and what does his birth chart say about the time leading up to the diagnosis.

Michael was not in denial about changes in his health or avoiding answers related to his health. It has been reported that Michael had been searching for the cause of pain in his throat for months. A series of tests over the course of the early summer revealed nothing and yet he knew something was wrong.

Astrologically, Michael’s Neptune and Sun are conjunct. Neptune adds a quality of inspiration and creativity to his work and it gives him a magical personal presence. For an actor, this is an amazing combination and people respond strongly both to his work and to his persona.

The Sun represents the vitality of the body and one’s physical health. Neptune can function like a fog: clouding, deceiving and concealing reality wherever he goes and whatever he touches. In effect, Neptune deceived Michael’s physicians, keeping them in the “fog of Neptune” and unable to see the reality of his health and the cause of his discomfort.

Michael’s wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones was quite direct about the delay in the diagnosis of his condition, "He sought every option and nothing was found. I knew something was up. He knew something was up. It makes me furious they didn't detect it earlier."

On August 26, 2010, which was a particularly important date for Michael astrologically, was the date on which the cancer was finally diagnosed. This was the exact date when transiting Saturn was conjunct Michael’s natal Sun. Transiting Saturn reveals the truth in our life. In this case, Saturn revealed the diagnosis of throat cancer and the truth about his health.

Transit chart for August 26, 2010 (outer wheel) to Michael Douglas natal chart (noon chart)

As we know, transiting Saturn is also a part of the Great T-Square of 2010, which means that while transiting Saturn was conjunct his natal Sun, that transiting Pluto was also square his Sun. In a sense, transiting Saturn and Pluto have been applying pressure together and wearing down the natural vitality of his Sun over a long period of time.

The truth can be a powerful force in life. When Michael revealed the truth of his condition to David Letterman, he also embraced the courage to move forward with the truth about his condition when he declared, “I am going to beat this!”

Looking back to his previous Saturn transits, Michael has shown an amazing capacity to achieve success during previous transits that are often very difficult. For example, on June 11, 2009, Michael received the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award. This distinction took place with transiting Saturn conjunct his natal Mercury in Virgo.

As the lord of time, reality and truth, transits of Saturn often reveal the truth that only time can bring. For Michael, transiting Saturn revealed the light of truth and Michael was recognized for his craft as both an actor and producer. Receiving recognition during such a Saturn transit suggests that Michael has embraced his life’s calling in a way that is true to his personal path in life.

This is why I often ask clients to look back 7, 14, 21 or 28 years to look for clues regarding the types of situations you experienced during the previous Saturn transits. Astrological maturity builds with time and past success creates even greater future success. Past difficulties indicate a need to address the truth face on and make progress this time around on what Saturn is asking of you.

With transiting Saturn conjunct his natal Sun, Michael has engaged in an honest search for truth about his health. Saturn actually rewards the qualities of truth and honesty. As a result of his willingness to work with Saturn, I agree with Michael, I think he will beat this!

Notes:
Michael Douglas was born on September 25, 1944 in Brunswick, New Jersey – time of birth is unknown.

It is one of my most potent memories from childhood: I am told, along with my Kindergarten classmates, to hid underneath my desk. It was the fall of 1962 and, as five year olds, we were experiencing the threat of the Cuban Missile Crisis and we were practicing what to do in case there was an attack from Russia. However, in reality, it was more likely that we would be attacked by Russian missiles placed in Cuba, which is only 90 miles from the tip of Florida. Maybe some of you also remember this?

In retrospect, I doubt that hiding under my desk would have provided any real protection against a nuclear attack. I don’t remember how long these “duck and dive” drills took place. Fortunately, through a combination of a naval blockade of Cuba and secret negotiations, President John F. Kennedy diffused the threat and Russia withdrew its nuclear missiles from Cuba. One thing was certain, if you lived through the early 1960’s, particularly as a child, we were all told that Cuba was an existential threat to the United States of America. At least, we felt that they were in Milwaukee.

Since the November 1989 and the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Communist system of governing has been gradually dropping away, one step at a time, throughout the world (with the exception of Cuba and North Korea). Now, more than 20 years after the widespread fall of Communism, Fidel Castro has realized that communism no longer provides a viable system of government. In an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg, a national correspondent for The Atlantic magazine, Castro responded openly about Cuba in a way nobody expected. When Goldberg asked Castro about the potential to export communism to other nations, Castro replied, "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore". Yes, Fidel Castro has acknowledged that Communism is a failed philosophy.

Astrologically, Castro’s admission comes at the culmination of a major cycle in his chart: a Uranus Return. For every individual, Uranus takes 84 years to complete its journey around the Sun and return to its natal position, which completes a full Uranus cycle. A Uranus Return marks in important recognition of the way in which any individual has expressed their own Uranus over their lifetime. Fidel's birth chart is at the end of this article.

In August 2010, Castro turned 84 and, on September 15, 2010, roughly a week after his admission of failure, transiting Uranus conjuncts his natal Uranus. In Castro’s birth chart, his Uranus is in Pisces and in his 10th house. Thus, he is meant to be a social revolutionary and to enact change to existing social structures (Uranus in the 10th house). Uranus in Pisces adds a quality of appealing to the collective. Hence, Castro’s approach to social change was to tear down the existing social structures in Cuba and embrace Communism.

Uranus in the birth chart identifies what is most unique about us, where we don’t agree with “everyone else”, where we want to enact change in the world. For individuals in the world of politics, Uranus is connected to the inclination to change existing social structures. Change, however, does not always produce positive results. This is the point of the Uranus Return. Have the results of your most unique efforts been favorable, are they sustainable, or have they been a failure?

So, Castro’s Uranus Return is a culmination, a harvesting of the manner in which he has embraced his Uranus. The harvest for Castro is a clear recognition of the truth about his revolutionary philosophy, the truth about Communism. The truth is that Communism has failed in Cuba and at his Uranus Return, Castro has admitted the reality and the truth, both for himself and ultimately for Cuba.

Culminations of any important astrological cycle are a time of completion and a time when we can look back on the entirety of the cycle, from inception to completion. Four times in life, Uranus reaches a milestone and a testing:

I hope this means that we can all come out from under our own little desks. I don’t think Cuba provides any form of menace to the United States of America anymore. Even Castro seems to agree!

** Note: Castro’s birth chart has a Lois Roden grade of DD, which is unverified or with conflicting material.

I wanted to share some thoughts about the connections between the Fall Equinox and the Cardinal T-Square of 2010.

Some of us have only indirect connections to the T-Square while others have a direct impact. Those with planets, major asteroids or chart angles in the first few degrees (and thereabouts) of Aires, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn are directly impacted. However, for all of us, but especially those directly impacted, these have been challenging times! With the Fall Equinox just around the corner on September 23, 2010, this Great T-Square gets even more interesting as the Sun and the Moon enter the equation.

The Fall Equinox occurs each year at the exact moment when the Sun enters (makes its ingress into) the sign of Libra. Each year, this exact moment has its own chart that defines the energies that will impact life over the next three months until the Winter Solstice. On a personal note, this is similar to how your Solar Return chart provides an additional energy for the year ahead (until your next birthday). Here's the chart:

As we see in the chart, on September 23, 2010, the Sun enters Libra on a full Moon (as demonstrated by the Moon oppose the Sun in the chart). With the Sun entering Libra, it joins Saturn in Libra adding the energy of the Sun to the Great T-Square. Likewise, the Moon will conjunct Uranus and Jupiter in the last degrees of Pisces and add its energy to the Great T-Square.

Thus, the tension of the T-Square will seek to integrate the conscious qualities of the Libra Sun with the unconscious nature of the Moon in Pisces. With the Sun conjunct Saturn in Libra we have a need to take action toward our goals in a mature, realistic and practical manner. We must recognize what our current situation is and what we actually can get done over the next three months (the Fall season).

At the same time, with the Moon conjunct Uranus and Jupiter, we have an emotional desire to think in terms of what could be, what might be and what we find inspiring. Thus, the unconscious quality of the Fall Equinox is optimistic and looking to the future. Central to using the energy introduced by the Sun and Moon well over the course of the Fall season ahead, is the ability to identify the difference between your vision for the future, the ambition to take the steps to move forward and make forward progress on the reality. This Fall Equinox is asking us to balance our vision of the future with the truth of today.

This is where the Fall Equinox reveals a deeper meaning. Libra is the time of the harvest and the truth of what that harvest is. We should celebrate our successes with a deep gratitude to life (plus something fun!). Saturn has a mythic connection with the harvest. One of the horns of Amalthea, the goat that is the symbol of Capricorn, was transformed into the cornucopia and the unending abundance of the harvest. However, Saturn’s connection to this harvest season also asks us to recognize what did not work so well. In this regard, Saturn asks us to be truthful with this transition of the seasons and to make the changes that will allow future seasons to be more fruitful.

Saturn wants us to be abundant, like the cornucopia. Uranus and Jupiter want us to embrace our vision for the future. There can be a balance between Saturn and Uranus / Jupiter; and the Full Moon of this Fall Equinox is calling us to recognize and to seek the balance between Sun and Moon, between Saturn and Uranus / Jupiter, between where we are at the change of this season and where we can be in seasons to come.

May you find abundance in your life and celebrate your harvest and seasons to come.

Rick Sanchez was fired 10-01-2010 from his job at CNN. The astrological version is “a loose wire triggers the heavy hand of authority”. Transiting Saturn, a.k.a. the heavy hand of authority, has just moved into the orb of squaring his natal Sun and will be exact on October 29, 2010. Saturn square the Sun is part of a cycle in which every seven years, transiting Saturn tests the maturity of our career efforts. Pass the test and your career moves forward without fear. Fail the test, and, well, ask Rick Sanchez.

The trigger of the test came from transiting Mars, on September 29th, 2010, transiting Mars was square Sanchez’s natal Uranus. This transit is somewhat like an accident waiting to happen. I call this the “Scott doesn’t play with knives in the kitchen” transit as it often suggests a need to be extra careful and not to be engaged in outbursts that distract us - in the kitchen, on the road, in the office or on live radio. In Sanchez’s case, the transit acted like a loose wire shorting an electrical circuit triggering a sudden verbal outburst. After the outburst, it was not surprising that Saturn would exercise his authority and the heavy hand of reality.

Important transits of Saturn occur over the course of months. But challenging transits of Mars, like the one experienced by Sanchez, are often the spark that brings down Saturn’s heavy hand of authority.

As Venus turns retrograde today, my attention has been drawn to her symbol, which represents a mirror that we hold to look at our reflection. The mirror of Venus holds a key to working in harmony with her, particularly when she is retrograde (as she now is until November 18, 2010). This article explores the three practical steps we can each undertake during this time to embrace Venus retrograde.

When Venus is direct, our attention is directed toward our outward appearance or that which attracts others to us. When we look into her mirror, we see our reflection and ask “How do I look?” The response is likely to come without thinking, “You look marvelous, Darling, simply marvelous!”

However, when Venus turns retrograde, something about the way we perceive the image reflecting back at us changes. It’s not that our face or appearance literally changes - we see the same reflection we do on other days - yet, our “appearance” looks to us somehow different.

During a retrograde period, the mirror of Venus asks us to look beyond our physical image, to see through our physical image and perceive what is deeper and more meaningful to us. At these times, which occur approximately once every 18 months, when we look into the mirror we are less likely to make affirmative statements about ourselves and more likely to ask questions. For example, we are less likely to reply to our reflection and say “I like my hair. I look great in this outfit”, and more likely to ask “Do I like myself in these clothes? Is this look really “me”? Is the image in the mirror in harmony with my inner self?”

First, asking questions is key to working with Venus retrograde. The most important questions to ask now explore how you feel about yourself. “Do I appear beautiful to myself?” “Do I love myself?” “Am I worthy of being loved just for who I am?” “Do my relationships recognize me for who I am?” “Do my relationships support me?” The purpose for asking these questions is to help us recognize if we are being true to our inner self, “the real you”, the part of us that is looking to find love and joy in life and in relationships with others. Asking questions prepares the mind, like tilling the soil, so the answers can begin to sprout and, over time, to fully blossom.

Second, Venus is that she wants you to be yourself, which means honoring your natal Venus. It is important to understand that Venus did not try to imitate or vie for the roles of the others goddesses. She did not try to be like Juno or Athena or any of the other beautiful goddesses. Venus was completely confident in herself. In the same way, Venus does not want you to pretend to be someone you are not. You are beautiful as a woman or handsome as a man, just as you are.

Astrologically, the sign, house position and key aspects for natal Venus, provide an archetype or image that helps us to understand our true expression of Venus. Just as Venus did not try to imitate Juno, if you have Venus in the earthy sign of Capricorn you should not try to imitate Venus in fiery signs of Aries, Leo, Sagittarius or any other sign. Learning to be true to ourselves, the Venus in our own birth chart, is the second step to working with Venus retrograde.

Third, during Venus retrograde periods, we need to embrace the current position of transiting Venus. This time around Venus will be retrograde in both Scorpio and Libra, as she is every eight years. As a result, the questions we ask are meant to discover a deeper truth about ourselves. Questions are meant to explore your deeper needs, the motivations that generally remain tucked away in the depths of our secret selves. Venus retrograde is the time to bring our inner needs into conscious awareness in order to bring our inner and outer vibration into harmony.

You do not need to worry about what you might find, Venus wants you to use the reflection in her mirror to find and embrace your true self, your beauty, your inner confidence. There is no fear when dwelling in your true self. If you were to ask Venus, she would say that being true to yourself and confident in who you are is key to radiating your inner beauty. When we radiate our inner beauty, we naturally attract the partner we have been waiting for or deepen our existing relationships.

Venus retrograde is a great time to pick up our mirror and become more fully attuned to our inner vibration, to bring our inner and outer world into greater harmony. Enjoy Venus retrograde and your reflection in her mirror!

The Sun has moved into Scorpio, signaling that it is time to turn our attention to our deeper feelings, our needs for trust and our capacity to trust. Since the personal planets of Mercury, Venus and Mars, along with the asteroid Vesta, have all joined the Sun in the deep, dark waters of Scorpio, this month has the potential to be quite potent for Scorpionic growth.

But first, let's consider the progression from the preceding sign of Libra. Libra is an air sign, which seeks to find balance, harmony and beauty in life, particularly through relationships of all kinds. Libra is not a passive sign that gives in to the needs of everyone else, but rather a sign that wants us to embrace enlightened self-interest in order to attain Libran balance.

Libran enlightened self-interest has two components. First, enlightened self-interest implies that we must value and honor our own legitimate wants and needs. This is not achieved by acting in a selfish manner, rather simply we must recognize, assert and insist on having our needs understood and valued by others. This is not easily accomplished for a Libra. Second, enlightened self-interest recognizes that only when both parties have their needs valued and fully recognized can a relationship be truly "in balance". With enlightened self interest, each person values both their own needs and the needs of their partner. This quality of mutual enlightened self-interest is central to the progression from Libra into Scorpio.

As we move from Libra to Scorpio, we are compelled to ask how we feel about our relationships. Given we are talking about Scorpio, this is not a light question, but rather a question that requires us to dive deep into the truth about how we feel about our relationships. Scorpio wants, demands, that we ask questions. The theme of Scorpio's questions returns us to Libra and our relationships. Scorpio demands that we ask more than simple questions like "How do I feel about my relationships?" Rather, Scorpio's questions connect with our deepest feelings and our ability to find a deeper truth about those feelings:

Scorpio wants to know whether our relationships are growing toward enlightened self-interest that promotes mutual growth and greater trust or if they are remaining stuck in old patterns where the selfish interest of one party takes advantage of the other. Most importantly, Scorpio wants to know if you have more, or less, trust in your partner, your friends, or your family? We can not have Scorpionic trust without first establishing true Libran balance through enlightened self-interest.

At the core of Scorpio, a key phrase is "the truth that leads to trust" in a vibrant, growing relationship. Scorpio wants you to know that it is the deeper truth that can take your relationships to a deeper, more soulful bond. Real Scorpionic trust demands an environment that is both safe and empowering. It is important to note, that trust is not something that happens in a month, like during the time when the Sun is moving through Scorpio. Scorpio accepts that trust is a process that deepens over time. Trust does however demand that we have a true partner who is on "our side" as any two people embark on the soul's journey together.

As you embark on your journey this month, I wish that you may ask the deeper questions, acknowledge the truth of your feelings and embrace the courage to build trust - in yourself and in those you love!

Dear Friends, here in Munich, I was fortunate to just experience the darkening of our skies. Shortly after sunrise, the Sun retreated into darkness and calm.

The full sun shine has now returned and I wanted to share a few notes about the solar eclipses of 2011.

On the heels of our New Year celebrations, on the 4th of January we will have the first of four solar eclipses, energizing the astrological events for 2011.

All solar eclipses share one theme in common: They impact your birth chart by energizing circumstances that are waiting to be brought into the light and life.

So, you might think of an eclipse as the role of the wizard, Gandalf, in the Lord of the Rings, giving first Bilbo and then Frodo Baggins a "nudge out of the door" and energizing their journeys.

How might the eclipse attempt to "nudge" your chart? There are three things to keep in mind:

On a social level, the eclipse at 13 Capricorn will oppose the natal Sun in the U.S. natal chart. As I have written in previous articles, the United States has been suffering from a sense of hysteria and an identity crisis. This eclipse (and a similar eclipse on July 1, 2011) will energize the nation's sense of purpose and meaning. Will the nation experience a rebirth of its purpose or a deeper crisis and further break down of social structures? This is a topic I will be returning to over the course of 2011. For the time being, however, we will have to wait and see.

The other three solar eclipses this year will occur on June 1, 2011 at 11 Gemini; July 1, 2011 at 9 Cancer; and November 25, 2011 at 2 Sagittarius. For information on a transit forecast, please check out my web-site.

Qualifications: I am a certified consultant of Astro*Carto*Graphy^TM as championed by Jim Lewis and Continuum, and Evolutionary Astrology as taught by Jeffrey Wolf Green. In 2007, I was the President of Minnesota STARS, the local NCGR chapter in Minnesota, and am a member of the International Society of Astrological Research (ISAR).