February 18, 2002
Daniel Pearl, Kidnapped
On January 23 Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped while
on his way to interview the head of a fundamentalist Islamic group. Since
then investigators have captured the prime suspect in the case, Sheikh Omar
Saeed, a key member of Al Qaeda. Over the past week Pearl's status, whether
he is alive or dead, has become the object of intense international attention.
Daniel Pearl was born with his Sun in the partner-oriented sign of Libra
(October 10, 1963; Princeton, NJ; time unknown*). Pearl's wife, who is six
months pregnant, has made some widely publicized offers and pleas concerning
her husband, adding to the growing concern over his fate. Also, his Sun is
trine Saturn, giving him the additional support of his elders, including his
Wall Street Journal associates.
Pearl's Sun opposes Jupiter, making him at times over-confident in
potentially dangerous situations.
With his Mars strongly placed in Scorpio, but deeply challenged by a square
to Saturn, Pearl is a natural risk-taker, constantly attempting to
demonstrate his ability. This combination of being over-confident and needing
to prove himself led him into the den of the terrorist camp.
Transiting Mars was opposite Pearl's Sun just before Saeed was arrested on
February 12, the most likely time he was killed if indeed he was killed.
Transiting Saturn is now exactly squaring his Uranus, another disheartening
influence. The one positive note is that transiting Uranus is approaching a
conjunction with the U.S. Moon, exact on February 24. This could mean his
liberation.
Campaign Finance Reform
Last Thursday the House passed a landmark Campaign Finance Reform (CFR) bill
following days of intense maneuvering, arguments, and voting down frivolous
amendments. After many years of delays and John McCain's futile efforts, the
reforms were finally pushed back onto the political agenda by the Enron
scandal. The last campaign financial reform bill was passed on the day that
Nixon resigned from the Presidency on August 9, 1974 as transiting Saturn was
exactly conjunct the U.S. Sun.
The current conditions in the U.S. Scorpio Rising horoscope reflect the
sudden developments in CFR. In a recent NewsScope column (January 28, 2002),
the likelihood of financial reforms was correlated to Saturn's transit
through the eighth house. As Saturn turned direct on February 8 near the U.S.
Uranus the battle to ban soft money contributions suddenly came back to life.
Uranus in the eighth house of corporations and capitalism represents the
country's most innovative companies, including the aeronautics,
telecommunication, and computer industries. By its very nature, Uranus
thrives when given free reign to experiment and invent new technologies. In
Enron's case the Uranian influence turned into a harebrained outlaw.
Frustrated congressional investigators repeatedly asked the question, "Who's
responsible?"
Saturn represents responsibility and authority, and now that it's transiting
over the U.S. Uranus, the unregulated corporations are being reprimanded and
reined in. The CFR bill now moves to the Senate where opponents have vowed to
filibuster, but a similar bill was already passed last year. Transiting
Saturn is conjunct the U.S. Uranus on March 10 by which time we should see
CFR and other financial reforms shaping up.
Britney Spears, At the Crossroads
Why is Britney Spears everywhere you look? The pop star is now branching out
with last week's debut in the road-trip movie Crossroads. She's on the covers
of Rolling Stone and Cosmo, made many guest appearances on various TV shows,
made a well-publicized visited to the NBA All Star game with boyfriend Justin
Timberlake, and her Pepsi ads were all over the Super Bowl.
Britney Spears was born an enthusiastic Sagittarius (December 2, 1981; 1:30
am; Mahon, MS**) with her Sun-sign ruler Jupiter well placed in the second
house of money and self-esteem. Jupiter trines the Midheaven, the career
point, indicating that she is favored to make a lot of money in her career.
At the moment transiting Jupiter is conjunct her Midheaven, adding tremendous
opportunities to advance her global status.
In business terms, Mars is the planet associated with promotional work.
Natally, Mars is found in the twelfth house of behind-the-scenes activities,
and this placement reflects the giant promotional conglomerates behind the
sweet image. Her Mars also represents Justin Timberlake, since it rules the
seventh house of partners.
For the next several years, her progressed Mars will be near her Libra
Ascendant, indicating how long she will be aggressively, relentlessly
involved in promotional work. Mr. Timberlake may also be around that long as
well, since the Libra personality projects best with a partner. However,
their relationship will undoubtedly be severely tested as transiting Saturn
opposes Britney's Sun on late March, and then squares her Mars in July.
Reader feedback is welcome. Email: [email protected].
* Many thanks to NewsScope correspondent Ayesha Grice for contacting the Wall
Street Journal and obtaining Pearl's birth date.
** Birth data is from Frank Clifford who quotes Barry Street of Equinox (The
Astrology Shop, London), Nov/ 2000. "She and her mother had walked in with
bodyguards et al; they cleared the shop and calculated her chart."
