Some Reflections on Idealism and Deception

With Neptune in the U.S. chart so triggered by the current configurations, and representing as it does both idealism and deception, it is appropriate to reflect on the recent revelations concerning the disclosure of fraud on the part of trusted Wall Street insider Bernard Madoff, who turned himself in on December 11 just before the balloon collapsed on a decades-long $20 billion to $50 billion scheme in which investors were paid from new investors coming in until there were no more new entrants to keep ahead of the consequences. See truthout.org for more details. But first a little background on the timing of these transits.

Saturn and Uranus opposed each other in November, exact for the first of five passes, on the very day of the U.S. presidential elections. The degree that they occupied was only a few degrees away from U.S. Neptune, with Saturn conjunct, and a few degrees away from U.S. Mars, forming a T-square to U.S. Mars, and triggering the natal Mars - Neptune square in the U.S. chart.

Then, Saturn moved on, and while still opposing Uranus formed an inconjunct with transiting Neptune over the latter half of November, and on into December, all the while getting closer and closer to the exact degree of U.S. Neptune. Finally, in this recent period, Saturn will station on December 31st within a degree of U.S. Neptune, while Neptune in the sky is inconjunct it to the exact degree and minute, and while transiting Venus conjuncts exactly U.S. Moon, representing the public.

There is idealism present in the Neptune - Mars square, together with the possibility of passionate action (Mars) in support of the idealistic conception (Neptune). These are known national characteristics. We have as well the potential for deceptive action, another Neptunian keyword. Here's a quote from Mr. Madoff:

"In today's regulatory environment, it's virtually impossible to violate rules ... and this is something the public really doesn't understand ... but it's impossible for you to go - for a violation to go undetected. Certainly not for a considerable amount of time." -Bernard L. Madoff, just over a year before turning himself in for perpetrating what may prove to be the largest financial fraud in history.Many people were taken in, and many more must have turned a blind eye to their suspicions, in what amounts to an indictment of the entire American financial system.

The blatant lies surrounding what was really going on inside is eerily reminiscent of Enron. This was perhaps the first warning in recent history of the potential for deception on the part of the U.S. banking industry. The demise of Enron took place in August of 2001. The banks and accounting firms were complicit. This was a very vicious case indeed, where upper management lied their way through the incipient disaster, including deceiving their employees and their stockholders, after inflating the books and also incidentally after participating in gaming the California electric grid once it had been deregulated at the behest of republicans in the state legislature. Of course Enron CEO Ken Lay was a close confidant of George W. Bush, not coincidentally. In early 2001 also, there were meetings in the White House held by the office of the Vice President on exactly how to carve up Iraqi oil fields once an American invasion had been accomplished. What were the transits at this time? Well, of course Pluto was opposed at that time by Saturn, and the two were transiting the Ascendant and Descendant of the U.S. chart, signaling that massive transformation for America was in the works. More significantly, transiting Uranus was occupying the same degree of Aquarius where transiting Neptune currently resides, making an exact inconjunct aspect to U.S. Neptune, symbolizing an important case of deception (Neptune) suddenly revealed (Uranus). But this was the tip of the iceberg, as subsequent revelations of corporate malfeasance have continued to show themselves. The recent $700 billion bailout of Wall Street firms with little or no guidelines on how they will spend the money is another case in point. Is this a case of idealism or deception?

In 2009, Saturn and Uranus will once again be opposed, in February and in August-September, with Neptune still in the picture. With the station of Saturn on U.S. Neptune looming as the New Year begins, and the August 2009 conjunction of Saturn with U.S. Neptune coming up, as Uranus opposes it, one wonders when the other shoes will drop. There may be many more surprises before we as a nation are out of these particular woods.

Neptune in the U.S. Chart

Since U.S. Neptune is actively triggered in the December and January time frame, especially at the time of the Full Moons of December 12th and January 10th, it may be useful to cover this information once again. The configuration in the U.S. Chart that is extremely compelling is the Mars – Neptune square, which is very tight.

This Mars – Neptune square has been triggered by several recent factors. In the first years of the Iraq war, Pluto in Sagittarius opposed Mars and squared Neptune. Currently there is the aspect of transiting Uranus in opposition to U.S. Neptune, which will complete in its last pass on March 9, 2009, plus transiting Saturn in conjunction with U.S. Neptune in December and January, triggered by the Full Moons of December 12th and January 10th.

Since the New Year's Day chart for Washington DC

has a stationary and singular Saturn conjunct U.S. Neptune, these themes are very active at the beginning of the New Year as well, and in some sense for the entire year of 2009.

Neptune is located at 22 + degrees of Virgo and is elevated, near the top of the chart and therefore emphasized. It squares U.S. Mars, located in the 7th House of foreign relations at 21+ degrees of Gemini. Neptune is a very slippery planet, and its many meanings all have relevance for the American national personality. U.S. Neptune in square with U.S. Mars means many things, not least of which is the regard for image and illusion that we see everywhere in this country, from movie stars to flashy commercials, from ghetto dwellers fancy cars to the drugs that the affluent buy for escape from any hint of the reality behind the facade.

One of the ways that this square pops up is in regard to deception and the U.S. Military. There is in fact a long record of deception leading to war, and of deception in the course of pursuing a war, all through United States history. In brief, there was the self-sabotage of the battleship Maine in the harbor of Havana, precipitating the Spanish – American war of 1898; the complicity on the part of President Roosevelt in the attack on Pearl Harbor of December 7, 1941 that began the American involvement in WWII (the attack fit his needs precisely to enter the war, so the intelligence that it was coming was never revealed); the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which was manufactured, that resulted in a broader involvement for the United States in Vietnam; the green light given by the state department, falsely, to Saddam Hussein to go into Kuwait; the subsequent scare that incubators were being removed from Kuwaiti hospitals, in a drama performed by the daughter of the U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait before congress, also entirely manufactured; the list goes on and on.

Another symbolism for Neptune involves underground liquids including oil, and the American military presence around the world, including and most obviously of course, Iraq, is very coincident with global oil supplies. Even with Vietnam, there was untapped oil off the coast. Columbia also has oil, and U.S. military aid there exceeds many first world commitments. This connection between oil and the military represents yet another reflection of the Mars – Neptune square in the U.S. chart.

Deception in the case of the military has a current history as well. Recently there was the case of Pat Tillman, the national celebrity football hero and poster boy for the military, who was killed by friendly fire and received the Silver Star posthumously in a failed attempt to cover up the circumstances of his death. Before that, in the early going, there was the filmed 'rescue' of Private Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital where she was being treated for wounds she received in a car accident, and whose handlers were happy to turn her over to the Americans. They had tried once and been repelled by American fire. The soldiers were filmed blazing away as they charged the hospital. Her wounds were said to be resulting from her capture by enemy combatants. All this came out, eventually, in the press, adding more fuel to the fire of charges that the United States had manipulated information in the early conduct of the war and especially in the run-up to it.

One of the more recent disclosures is from the man who was White House spokesman during that phase of the war, Scott McClellan, whose book, just published, is another black eye for the Bush administration. He charges that the intelligence was manipulated leading up to the onset of war. His book was published within a few days of the retrograde of Mercury near U.S. Mars and square U.S. Neptune.

For more information regarding the details of these stories from the perspective of 2004, see my article, The Ides of June.

In this post-election time frame, we can observe the same dichotomy of idealism and deception and in relation to the U.S. Military as well. The idealism is obvious as this charming, photogenic and sincere president-elect begins to take the reigns of power. For one take on the side of illusion and the perhaps deceptive simplicity of his stated military policy, here is an interesting perspective, from Truthout.

For an excellent reference work on the meaning of the U.S. chart in general, and its Neptune and Pluto placements in particular, see Jessica Murray's terrific new book Soul-Sick Nation, available from Amazon.

Finally, as a backdrop to current events here in the U.S. I'd like to present a couple of links. We first put these out last April. You might regard the information contained in this radio and video presentation to be obvious and old news, or else entirely shocking and disturbing, perhaps even unbelievable, depending on your orientation, but I ask you to in any case bear witness with an open mind.

The first is an interview with Caroline Casey regarding a book called The Shell Game, a book by Steve Alten. The February 15, 2007 show is also great, an interview with Jan Fonda, and there is also a two-part interview with Rick Tarnas on the Astrology of outer planet combinations through history. Steve Alten - February 21, 2008 Show »

The second is a 1 1/2 hour video on the 9-11 truth movement, a presentation by respected scholar David Ray Griffin »

Neptune is featured in November and December

Transits to the U.S. Chart (from last November 1) - this is a regular feature of my astro column using the chart for the birth of the United States (see chart)

Free Sun Sign Horoscope

For a look at the candidates' natal charts – see my Notes on the Candidates.

The Neptune archetype was responsible for some of the illusory and idealized (and media-soaked) factors on the national stage last month, and is very powerful again in the present monthly alignments, so that we can expect more of the same. The Full Moon of November 12th triggers transiting Neptune as it trines U.S. Mars, and as Saturn nears its conjunction with U.S. Neptune as well while transiting Uranus opposes it. At the very end of the year Saturn stations retrograde within a degree of U.S. Neptune, and then hits it again in February. The next pass of the Saturn – Uranus opposition is February 4th, so this first month of the new administration next year is likely to be a powerful time in this country that could stimulate both ideals and illusions of what can concretely be accomplished.

In the present month the mid-month timeframe will be the most powerful, and redolent with the unworldly energy of Neptune. Idealism will be present in abundance, together with powerfully enlightened concepts of change that is not only possible but necessary, and also the reality of seeing dreams die that cannot be fulfilled. The sense of this country's beliefs in terms of higher mind will be elevated and placed up on a pedestal.

Will we see the grounding of our ideals in concrete action or the disappointment of their failure to be everything that we wanted? A little of both, no matter who gets in and who is left out in the cold, and no matter who we were pulling for. This country is paying the price for past excess and there just is no easy way out right now.

The Ides of October

From the perspective of mid-month October, the astrology of transits to the U.S. chart is very revealing, considering the suddenness of events in this country lately. In the October skies, Uranus and Saturn are beginning their first of five passes of exact opposition, which will complete on November 4th, Election Day, and as they do they conjunct and oppose U.S. Neptune, symbolizing among other things illusion. The financial picture is partly based on the expectations and the dreams and hopes, and yes, illusions, of investors, and here we see some stress applied to this very factor in the U.S. chart that makes this country such a powerful reservoir of dreams for the rest of the world.

Saturn always limits, but for a reason. We are in other words witnessing a necessary correction. With Uranus involved, the challenges come suddenly, and bring with them a factor of enlightenment. As well as suffering with the fears of the times, we are learning as a nation right now. As the twin powers represented by Saturn and Uranus aspect U.S. Neptune, they also aspect U.S. Mars, tied to Neptune by a potent square aspect, natally, in the chart for July 4, 1776. In the charts of individuals, Mars represents the outward dynamic of energy to accomplish. In the U.S. chart it means the same thing, and also incidentally the military, and also rules the 4th House of real estate and homeland security. Since a T-square is being made from Saturn and Uranus to U.S. Mars, these factors in our national life are being subjected to the push-pull of limitation (Saturn) and wild ideas of future orientation (Uranus); a conflicted sense of stop and go that is reflected in the current stock market yo-yo. We might also note that the possibility is constantly being raised at this time of adventitious action for a better future, represented by Uranus square (and transiting Neptune trine) U.S. Mars -- including the financial stop-gaps the administration is putting forth at this time, and including also the ideas that are constantly being floated right now for green job creation that might get us through.

This is not really news, but maybe the timing of subsequent events could be. The Full Moons of each successive month will emphasize these same factors, with increasing force. Thus the Full Moon of November 12th will strongly aspect transiting Saturn, as Saturn moves to conjunct U.S Neptune (and square U.S. Mars) while the Full Moon of December 12th will square these positions and oppose U.S. Mars exactly. It may well be, in other words, that we ain't seen nothing yet, compared to the final weeks of this climactic year.

September has arrived...

As we head back into the nuts and bolts of our lives and attempt to see how we fit with the larger collective that surrounds us, and in particular the American presidential election, now entering its final phase, it is interesting to find the symbolism of Saturn and Uranus beginning to oppose each other in the current skies. You couldn't ask for a clearer statement of conservative status quo mentality versus the desire for change, and rapid change, change above all else, which many in this country feel is exactly and categorically what is needed. The August 30th New Moon that launched this monthly cycle conjuncted Saturn, while the mid-September Full Moon conjuncts Uranus. Their opposition gets closer and closer as November approaches, becoming exact to the minute on Election Day, November 4th, serving to underscore the intense astrological climate of our times.

Who will win? Well who will win isn't the best question to ask, because the answer is still up in the air. The stars incline, as the ancient dictum goes, they do not compel. Individual free will still counts for almost everything, with a little help from the planetary archetypes to see what energies are part of us right now, the tenor of our times, what we are facing. For it is up to us, to all of us, to succeed in our own way to break through and break free of our prior conditioning that tells us we can't make the changes that are needed in our own lives, and in the life of our country. Hopefully, whichever way we vote come November, we will all win.

The Eclipses of August in the U.S. Chart

Since U.S. Neptune is actively triggered in the August timeframe, especially at the August 1st Solar Eclipse New Moon and the August 16th Lunar Eclipse. It may be useful to cover this information one more time. The configuration in the U.S. Chart that is extremely compelling is the Mars – Neptune square, which is very tight.

Neptune is located at 22 + degrees of Virgo and is elevated, near the top of the chart and therefore emphasized. Neptune is a very slippery planet, and its many meanings all have relevance for the national personality. Neptune in square with U.S. Mars, at 21 + degrees of Gemini, means many things, not least of which is the regard for image and illusion that we see everywhere, from movie stars to flashy commercials, from ghetto dwellers fancy cars to the drugs that the affluent buy for escape from any hint of the reality behind the facade.

One of the ways that this square pops up is in regard to deception and the U.S. Military. There is in fact a long record of deception leading to war, and of deception in the course of pursuing a war, all through United States history. In brief, there was the self-sabotage of the battleship Maine in the harbor of Havana, precipitating the Spanish – American war of 1898; the complicity on the part of President Roosevelt in the attack on Pearl Harbor of December 7, 1941 that began the American involvement in WWII (the attack fit his needs precisely to enter the war, so the intelligence that it was coming was never revealed); the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which was manufactured, that resulted in a broader involvement for the United States in Viet Nam; the green light given by the state department, falsely, to Saddam Hussein to go into Kuwait; the subsequent scare that incubators were being removed from Kuwaiti hospitals, in a drama performed by the daughter of the U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait before congress, also entirely manufactured; the list goes on and on.

Another symbolism for Neptune involves underground liquids including oil, and the American military presence around the world, including and most obviously of course, Iraq, is very coincident with global oil supplies. Even with Viet Nam, there was untapped oil off the coast. Columbia also has oil, and U.S. military aid there exceeds many first world commitments. This connection between oil and the military represents yet another reflection of the Mars – Neptune square in the U.S. chart.

This Mars – Neptune square has been triggered by several recent factors. In the first years of the Iraq war, Pluto in Sagittarius opposed Mars and squared Neptune. Currently there is the aspect of transiting Uranus in opposition to U.S. Neptune, further emphasized by this month's transits, especially the June 10th First Quarter Moon.

Deception in the case of the military has a recent history as well. Recently there was the case of Pat Tillman, the national celebrity football hero and poster boy for the military, who was killed by friendly fire and received the Silver Star posthumously in a failed attempt to cover up the circumstances of his death. Before that, in the early going, there was the filmed 'rescue' of Private Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi hospital where she was being treated for wounds she received in a car accident, and whose handlers were happy to turn her over to the Americans. They had tried once and been repelled by American fire. The soldiers were filmed blazing away as they charged the hospital. Her wounds were said to be resulting from her capture by enemy combatants. All this came out, eventually, in the press, adding more fuel to the fire of charges that the United States had manipulated information in the early conduct of the war and especially in the run-up to it.

Of course the most recent disclosure is from the man who was White House spokesman during that phase of the war, Scott McClellan, whose book, just published, is another black eye for this criminal administration. He charges that the intelligence was manipulated leading up to the onset of war. His book was published within a few days of the retrograde of Mercury near U.S. Mars and square U.S. Neptune.

For more information regarding the details of these stories from the perspective of 2004, see my article, The Ides of June.

For an excellent reference work on the meaning of the U.S. chart in general, and its Neptune and Pluto placements in particular, see Jessica Murray's terrific new book Soul-Sick Nation, available from Amazon.

Finally, as a backdrop to current events here in the U.S. I'd like to present a couple of links. We first put these out last April. You might regard the information contained in this radio and video presentation to be obvious and old news, or else entirely shocking and disturbing, perhaps even unbelievable, depending on your orientation, but I ask you to in any case bear witness with an open mind.

The first is an interview with Caroline Casey regarding a book called The Shell Game, a book by Steve Alten. The February 15, 2007 show is also great, an interview with Jan Fonda, and there is also a two-part interview with Rick Tarnas on the Astrology of outer planet combinations through history. Steve Alten - February 21, 2008 Show »

The second is a 1 1/2 hour video on the 9-11 truth movement, a presentation by respected scholar David Ray Griffin »