NewsScope for January 29, 2008

Top Five Astro-Events for February

1. The Solar Eclipse on February 6 activates a cluster of planets in mid-Aquarius, which lands right on the U.S. nadir. This alignment occurs during SuperTuesday's results, and features a retrograde Mercury near Neptune, perhaps bringing a variety of misinformation, a few miscounts, snafus, and the likelihood that no candidate can declare total victory.

2. Mars in Gemini turned direct in late January, and heads toward an opposition to Pluto on March 6. This makes the entire month of February under the nasty influence of this severe aspect, which tends to make people verbally aggressive and attack-oriented. In the business world, watch for major cuts.

3. Jupiter opposes the U.S. Sun on February 16, and then squares the U.S. Saturn on February 25, marking a phase when U.S. leaders express increased confidence in the election process and financial institutions. Enthusiastic patriotism is in the air, and a few concurrent success stories may inspire renewed optimism about the future.

4. Mercury turns direct on February 18 - while exactly square the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant. Doubt fades about the presidential campaign, with clear leaders from both parties emerging. Expect some big news story to dramatically shift public awareness, especially regarding the national image in the global village.

5. The Lunar Eclipse on February 20 takes place with the Sun in Pisces conjunct Vesta and opposite Saturn. This complex likely relates to the job market, and foretells an increase in the monthly unemployment rate and new rounds of job cuts. Those with job security might see some belt-tightening or changes in duties. Also, watch for major intelligence reports.

HuffPollstrology

Last week, the on-line bastion of liberal politics, The Huffington Post, created a new feature called HuffPollstrology, which is a tongue-in-cheek look at how well the top candidates are doing. As Arianna Huffington writes, "Pollstrology is a great way to see who is hot and who is not – and which candidates' stars say they might be lucky in voter love today."

In order to show that pollsters don't get it right any better than astrologers do, Huffington gives the respective daily horoscopes for each of the candidates. For January 26, the day of the South Carolina primary, Obama, a Leo, gets this message: "Today you're feeling thriftier and would rather have fun on the cheap." Scorpio Hillary Clinton is advised to "stick with what you've got."

Unfortunately, real astrology is hampered by these cartoon images of our craft. The Sun Sign columns found with the comic strips are meant solely as entertainment, and are in no way representative of what a knowledgeable astrologer can discover about an individual's psyche and his likely future development. In discussing candidates' horoscopes, the astrological community is held back by not having accurate birth times.*

Astrology is a complex language, and reducing it to simplistic Sun Sign fortune-telling is to ignore the vast collection of intelligent commentaries widely available on the net and in professionally-written books and magazines. Huffington rants about annoying pollsters and how they're no better than superstitious astrologers, but the truth is, there are some good pollsters out there, and likewise, plenty of good astrologers.

Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment last Tuesday, with preliminary reports indicating that he died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. Since then, many media stories have described his SoHo lifestyle that might have led to this tragedy, largely centering on his love for his daughter Matilda, and his split from Brokeback co-star Michelle Williams, Matilda's mother.

Heath Ledger was born with his Aries Sun opposite Pluto (April 4, 1979; Perth, Australia; time unknown), an unusually powerful pairing which can bring great charisma and psychological depth, but also a fear of loss of control or identity. In extreme cases, as astrologer Adrian Ross Duncan describes, "they fear becoming invisible, empty or annihilated.... at the root of being there is a deep existential anxiety."

Heath's Moon in Cancer  squares Pluto, giving him access to intense subconscious emotions and feelings. This combination fuels the Plutonian complexes in his psyche, which he tapped into during his Oscar-nominated roles, roles which were becoming ever-more sinister, as in his portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight (due out on July 18, 2008), a cinematic representation of Pluto's subterranean power struggles.

Heath's death took place during his Saturn Return. Natally, he has Venus opposite Saturn, one of the most difficult astrological obstacles to finding happiness in life. As transiting Saturn returned, his lack of happiness must have been on his mind when he went to sleep that afternoon. Also, transiting Uranus was conjunct his Ceres (the parent-child asteroid), indicating that his most deeply felt loss was his separation from Matilda.

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