Today we go to another politician's chart, and we also take a needed break from the subject of death, which has come up a bit too much since the beginning of this blog.
We move, instead to a topic far more unpleasant than the violent death of beloved national leaders: Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th President of the United States.
One of the advantages of studying famous people's charts is that it's often possible to acquire fairly accurate birth data on them. One of the disadvantages is that we often only know a handful of external events of their lives: marriages, losses and successes. But that's still plenty to go on. In the case of Richard Nixon, the professional losses and successes are epic.
"The professional losses and successes are epic." It so happens that there is planetary placement that epitomizes that phenomenon: Saturn in the 10th house.
Richard Nixon went from being a McCartheyite congressman in 1947 to U.S. Senator in 1951 to Vice President (against Eisenhower's better judgement) in 1953. He would lose the presidential race to John F. Kennedy in 1960. But he would succeed in becoming President in 1968, only to deservedly lose it in 1974.
Today we will look at two placements: Saturn in the 10th and Venus in the 7th house. The seventh house is that of marriage. The 10th is that of the career. The two planets have exchanged houses. That is, Saturn is in the 10th in Taurus (which is ruled by Venus). Venus is in the 7th in Aquarius (which is ruled by Saturn).
These two houses lie in a quadrant from one another. And that is a problem. Saturn sees the 10th house from itself. As a result, the mutual interchange or parivartana yoga also causes an affliction. Saturn sees Venus (in this case within a fairly narrow orb of 4 degrees). Thus there is a double Saturnian effect on the 10th house: Saturn occupies it and also sees its ruler.
This is not the place to explain how this chart could take someone to the presidency, so I will simply note that it takes a whole lot more than Saturn in the 10th which is, after all, a characteristic shared by over 500 million human beings on earth right now. Suffice it to say that this chart is further proof of the enormous role played by the 5th house in politician's horoscopes.
Saturn in the 10th house is not disastrous for the career. It can take you to the peak of a mountain. But there's a good change a swift kick is just around the corner. In the case of Milhous, that happened more than once. Note, however, that Saturn is not an afflicted planet in this chart. It is, rather, an afflicter. Venus, on the other hand, is afflicted.
Saturn as ruler of the house of marriage, indeed introduced Tricky to his long suffering wife at the first available opportunity: Jupiter sub Saturn, in 1940. Within months of the beginning of the 19 year Saturn period, he would become Vice President of the United States.
Saturn being Saturn, however, the kick at the mountaintop was about to come. In 1960 Nixon would run against John F. Kennedy.
We will continue our study of Richard Nixon soon, but we part with a trivia question and a gift: One other U.S. president had Saturn in the 10th. Who was it?
And here is our gift to you, beloved reader.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Friday, September 4, 2009
Caroline Kennedy, part II
I didn't comment on the timing of President Kennedy's death as seen from Caroline's chart. It was again transiting Saturn that fell right on her Moon (lord of the 9th, symbolizing the father) in the 3rd house, from which it also saw her natal Sun. Meanwhile, Mars transited her 1st house, conjoining Saturn, which was with her Sun (the karaka for father).
One other interesting point. In North Indian astrology, it is the 10th house, not the 9th, that rules the father. To a Northern Indian astrologer, the Sun, then would not only rule the 10th house but of course also be the karaka for the father. Under this scenario, Saturn conjoining the Sun would do three things:
1) Afflict the lord of the 10th
2) Afflict the karaka for the father
3) Afflict the 10th house
That would make it a very pure case for the death of the father. One might argue that the South Indian method works out better in terms of the timing, because of the dual affliction to both the Sun, 9th lord and 9th house by Saturn, supported by the Mars aspected to the karaka.
A North Indian astrologer, however, could equally claim that the transit by Mars to the 1st triggered the violence that would cause the loss indicated by Saturn. A South Indian astrologer might counterargue the Mars transit occurs every two years, and the Saturn transit every 29 years. Either way, what's most striking about this particular case is that both heuristics yield very similar results.
One other interesting point. In North Indian astrology, it is the 10th house, not the 9th, that rules the father. To a Northern Indian astrologer, the Sun, then would not only rule the 10th house but of course also be the karaka for the father. Under this scenario, Saturn conjoining the Sun would do three things:
1) Afflict the lord of the 10th
2) Afflict the karaka for the father
3) Afflict the 10th house
That would make it a very pure case for the death of the father. One might argue that the South Indian method works out better in terms of the timing, because of the dual affliction to both the Sun, 9th lord and 9th house by Saturn, supported by the Mars aspected to the karaka.
A North Indian astrologer, however, could equally claim that the transit by Mars to the 1st triggered the violence that would cause the loss indicated by Saturn. A South Indian astrologer might counterargue the Mars transit occurs every two years, and the Saturn transit every 29 years. Either way, what's most striking about this particular case is that both heuristics yield very similar results.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
One placement, two results
As I wrote about Ted Kennedy two days ago, "It is one of those fascinating things about astrology that the extraordinarily long life of his mother as well as the tragic deaths of his siblings, are symbolized in part by the exact same placement."
Something very similar happens in the case of Caroline.
In studying specific areas of a chart, in this case family members, we look to
1) the house
2) its lord
3) the karaka, or significator of the person in question
Caroline has Scorpio rising, making Cancer the sign on the 9th house cusp. In South Indian astrology, the 9th house is the father (also the guru). The Moon is thus the lord of the 9th. Caroline's Moon is in Capricorn, in the 3rd house.
Unfortunately, this Moon is afflicted not only by Saturn (separation) but by Mars (violence). Jupiter does cast, however, a benefic glance onto the 3rd, but not onto the 9th.
These placements in themselves might be insufficient to kill a family member, but unfortunately the karaka for the father, the Sun, is conjoined with Saturn in the 1st.
(For what it's worth, the Moon and the Sun are afflicted by Saturn in the navamsa chart as well. If the birth time reported for her is exceedingly accurate, it also appears that the 9th lord in Navamsa, Mars, is afflicted by both Rahu and Saturn. Yikes.)
The third house in the natal chart, unfortunately, also symbolizes the younger brother. The house is strengthened by the presence of the Moon as 9th lord. This coupled with the house lord's presence in the ascendent (albeit afflicted by the Sun) would have made him a particularly prominent figure in her life. However, the 3rd house is still afflicted by the two planets that are afflicting the Moon. Finally, the karaka for brothers, Mars, is poorly positioned in the 12th house, and on top of that is afflicted by Rahu within 3 degrees orb.
The Moon's affliction in the 3rd house was simply devastating in Caroline's chart. Her brother would die within days of the beginning of her 19 year Saturn period.
Something very similar happens in the case of Caroline.
In studying specific areas of a chart, in this case family members, we look to
1) the house
2) its lord
3) the karaka, or significator of the person in question
Caroline has Scorpio rising, making Cancer the sign on the 9th house cusp. In South Indian astrology, the 9th house is the father (also the guru). The Moon is thus the lord of the 9th. Caroline's Moon is in Capricorn, in the 3rd house.
Unfortunately, this Moon is afflicted not only by Saturn (separation) but by Mars (violence). Jupiter does cast, however, a benefic glance onto the 3rd, but not onto the 9th.
These placements in themselves might be insufficient to kill a family member, but unfortunately the karaka for the father, the Sun, is conjoined with Saturn in the 1st.
(For what it's worth, the Moon and the Sun are afflicted by Saturn in the navamsa chart as well. If the birth time reported for her is exceedingly accurate, it also appears that the 9th lord in Navamsa, Mars, is afflicted by both Rahu and Saturn. Yikes.)
The third house in the natal chart, unfortunately, also symbolizes the younger brother. The house is strengthened by the presence of the Moon as 9th lord. This coupled with the house lord's presence in the ascendent (albeit afflicted by the Sun) would have made him a particularly prominent figure in her life. However, the 3rd house is still afflicted by the two planets that are afflicting the Moon. Finally, the karaka for brothers, Mars, is poorly positioned in the 12th house, and on top of that is afflicted by Rahu within 3 degrees orb.
The Moon's affliction in the 3rd house was simply devastating in Caroline's chart. Her brother would die within days of the beginning of her 19 year Saturn period.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Massachusetts Senate succession
Given the very tough years ahead for the Kennedy most often mentioned as a replacement, I doubt it will be him.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
"In the end, every champion is an aberration"
So says Tennis.com's Steve Tignor, referring to Andre Agassi in this thoughtful look at the state of American tennis.
No matter how good he or she may claim to be, it is impossible to determine the level of a chart purely on the basis of a chart. If it's true that about 360,000 people are born every day , then dividing by 12, that means 30,000 people have the same chart basic natal or rasi chart as you. And, obviously, it is not the case that all of you will have the same fortunes.
Yes, subdivisional charts will narrow things down (the rising sign in the navamsa chart changes every few minutes rather than every two hours, for example). But even then, thousands are born the same day with the same rising sign in both rasi and navamsa, and they don't have the same fortune.
Who is the aberration? And who is ordinary? This was St. Augustine's criticism of astrology in the Confessions: that his friend and his servant had the same chart, yet one was the master and the other servant. That never struck me as a devastating criticism (his other criticism was more weighty): their fates, after all, were certainly tied. Nonetheless, there is no question about it: astrology alone is insufficient, not only for predictions but even counseling.
That's where intuition comes in. Sadly, it's one of many places in the practice of astrology where even intuition may not be good enough.
No matter how good he or she may claim to be, it is impossible to determine the level of a chart purely on the basis of a chart. If it's true that about 360,000 people are born every day , then dividing by 12, that means 30,000 people have the same chart basic natal or rasi chart as you. And, obviously, it is not the case that all of you will have the same fortunes.
Yes, subdivisional charts will narrow things down (the rising sign in the navamsa chart changes every few minutes rather than every two hours, for example). But even then, thousands are born the same day with the same rising sign in both rasi and navamsa, and they don't have the same fortune.
Who is the aberration? And who is ordinary? This was St. Augustine's criticism of astrology in the Confessions: that his friend and his servant had the same chart, yet one was the master and the other servant. That never struck me as a devastating criticism (his other criticism was more weighty): their fates, after all, were certainly tied. Nonetheless, there is no question about it: astrology alone is insufficient, not only for predictions but even counseling.
That's where intuition comes in. Sadly, it's one of many places in the practice of astrology where even intuition may not be good enough.
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