NewsScope for January 15, 2008

Hillary Clinton's Crying Incident
 
Going into New Hampshire's primary last week, all the polls indicated that Barack Obama would win. Hillary's upset victory sent pundits scrambling for explanations, with one of the main reasons being Hillary's emotional, tearful expression on the day before the election. For someone often seen as being scripted, the "crying incident" was a welcome peek into a more human side.
 
Astrologically, the important turn-around confirms Hillary's birth time of 8:00 am (not 8:01 or 8:02am). Monday afternoon, at the time of the crying incident, transiting Jupiter was at 4º35' Capricorn, where it formed a perfect trine to her Midheaven at 4º35' Virgo. Jupiter's protective, beneficial influence inspired her to express herself in a convincing and heart-felt way.
 
Currently, transiting Pluto is conjunct her natal Juno, empowering her projected image as socially engaging, queenly, and having a supportive relationship with Bill. His chart indicates that he's in attack mode (progressed Mercury and Mars are conjunct), which explains his impulse to bring Obama down a notch or two. Then in August, with transiting Saturn entering his twelfth house, Bill will have to get used to being in the background.
 
Pluto's slow progress over the coming few years only further animates Hillary. The sextile to her Sun and the trine to her Midheaven give her global recognition and a prominent position (reiterated by her progressed Sun trine her Midheaven in 2009). The sextile to her Ceres in the sixth house of health in 2009 indicates that one of her first projects (assuming she becomes president) will be heath care reform.
 
Political Candidates and the U.S. Moon
 
In light of Barack Obama's recent advances, many readers have asked me if I'm sticking to my prediction that Hillary will win. The scenario that I set forth a year ago*, has so far played out fairly closely: Obama peaked in August, and is having a good January. But I suspect February is Hillary's, and eventually she'll win in November.
 
That these two candidates would rise above all the rest is based on their strong connections with the U.S. Moon, and the favorable conditions in their individual charts. In a national chart, the Moon represents the people and their security needs, and – most significantly – their favorable disposition to specific candidates. Using the Scorpio Rising horoscope (set for 2:21 pm; July 4, 1776), the U.S. Moon is at 25º28' Aquarius.
 
Over the last several decades, successful candidates have had close natal or progressed planets in very tight aspect to the U.S. Moon, with orbs of 1/4º or less being common. Theoretically, this statistical anomaly should demonstrate that the Moon is at this specific degree, not 26º Aquarius, as in the popular Sibley horoscope, and certainly not 18º Aquarius, as found in the many Gemini Rising variations.
 
We don't have accurate birth times for many of the candidates, but using what we do have, John McCain, Fred Thompson, Michael Bloomberg, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton all have the key connections to the U.S. Moon. This means that John Edwards, Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and the rest can be categorized as "also-rans". Obama's chart looks charmed, especially with his progressed Jupiter to Uranus aspect. Sure, it's a judgment call, but I still think Hillary will win.
 
Mark Rothko's "No. 15"
 
Last week, Christie's International announced that their May 13 auction in New York will feature a Mark Rothko painting valued in excess of $40 million. The abstract painting is titled "No. 15", and to the untrained eye, looks like a blotchy slab of red on a yellow background. However, to those who know, viewing a Rothko multiform is the ultimate spiritual experience.
 
Rothko was born with his Libra Sun (September 25, 1903; Daugavpils, Latvia; time unknown) conjunct the asteroid Pallas, a combination that gave him a keen sense of political and aesthetic awareness. His Sun-Pallas squares Neptune, adding tremendous imagination which he readily translated into his art. This configuration also reflects how he was buffeted about by trends in both the art world and geopolitics.
 
Artistic Venus is placed in technically-proficient Virgo, and as demonstrated in his early phase, Rothko could make accurate renditions. But his Venus is retrograde, forcing him to re-think his expressionism. Venus is modulated by hard aspects to outer planets, moving him toward the transcendent, so that his work is radically progressive (Uranus), transformative (Pluto), and spiritually satisfying (Jupiter in Pisces).
 
As an idealistic struggling artist, Rothko had the misfortune of having his Neptune at 5º53' Cancer, exactly conjunct the U.S. Jupiter, which naturally attracted some of America's wealthiest benefactors to his cause. In 1952, Fortune magazine pronounced that his paintings were a great investment. Last year, Christie's sold a Rothko painting for $72.8 million as transiting Jupiter and Uranus aligned with his Venus. This year, with Pluto squaring his Sun, we might expect a quantum leap in his paintings' values.
 

*See http://neptunecafe.com/Election08.html
 
**For more on Rothko's work and intellectualism, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rothko

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