August 4, 2003

Saturn Challenges Same-Sex Marriages

Same-sex marriage has suddenly become a hot topic of conversation. The issue began migrating to the top of the cultural agenda on June 10 when a Canadian high court ruled that restricting marriage to a man and a woman was unconstitutional. Then on June 26 the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling favorable to the gay lifestyle, and last week the Anglican church considered blessing same-sex couples and electing their first gay Bishop.

The chief astrological factor in this growing debate is probably Saturn, which entered the family-values sign of Cancer in early June. Saturn, the taskmaster, is testing exactly what constitutes a legal family. Asteroid-lovers will note that Juno, the marriage asteroid, is currently right on the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant. On October 1, 1989 Denmark became the first country to legally recognize same-sex marriage, and a horoscope drawn for this event (noon, Copenhagen) further clarifies the issue.

The Sun and Mars are conjunct in the partnership sign of Libra, and they form squares to Saturn in Capricorn and Jupiter in Cancer. The Saturn-Jupiter polarity describes the moral questions raised by this act. Last week the Pope issued a strong statement against same-sex marriage, and President Bush likewise expressed his interest in "codifying" marriage to be between a man and a woman.

At the time, transiting Saturn had just entered the planetary configuration found in the Denmark same-sex horoscope where it opposed natal Saturn to challenge its underlying proposition. Saturn returns to this degree zone early next year, promising that same-sex marriage will be an intensely divisive debate topic right through the presidential primaries.

Presidential Astrology Part 5: Gore, Clark, and Clinton

Last week was the 30th anniversary of the Watergate hearings, and numerous media reports recounted the story of Richard Nixon's criminal behavior and eventual resignation on August 8, 1974. And now the shadow of Watergate looms over President Bush in the form of an intelligence failure and cover-up concerning the Iraqi quest for uranium in Africa.

The Watergate scandal unraveled one Saturn cycle ago, and as Saturn heads toward its current conjunction with the U.S. Sun in October, we will see if this intelligence failure amounts to anything at all. Democratic candidates feel Bush's vulnerability, and now see a tight election contest in 2004. So far none of the declared candidates have captured the public's imagination, leaving the door open for several undeclared candidates: Al Gore, Wesley Clark, and Hillary Clinton.

Following the logic of previous columns, the candidates that fare best will have close connections to the U.S. Moon at 25 Aquarius. Unfortunately for Al Gore enthusiasts, his best link is the same one he had during the last election, his natal Venus at 26 Taurus. He probably correctly senses that a rematch would be politically fatal for both himself and the Democrats.

Former NATO Commander Wesley Clark (December 23, 1944; Little Rock, AK; time unknown) is an unlikely contender since he is untested politically and ranks low in public opinion polls. However, he may have his progressed Mercury (depending on his birth time) at 25 Aquarius, which gives him a shot. Hillary Clinton (October 26, 1947; 8:00 am or pm; Chicago) has natal Uranus at 25 Gemini, progressed Ceres at 25 Aries, and progressed Venus at 25 degrees Capricorn, making her a genuine contender.

Liza Minnelli, The Show Must Go On

A mere 16 months after their lavish, star-studded wedding ceremony, Liza Minnelli and David Gest called the whole thing off. Some sources cite Minnelli's on-and-off again battle with alcoholism, while others say that a rude, televised remark by Gest (she had become "hugely fat") was the final straw. Both parties vowed to fight out the financial details in court.

Liza Minnelli was born a sensitive Pisces (March 12, 1946; 7:58 am; Los Angeles) with an emotionally challenging Mars-Saturn-Moon triple conjunction in the family sign of Cancer. The Moon, the natural ruler of the mother, sits on the fourth house cusp where it dominates the rest of the chart. Minnelli inherited a terrific voice and theatrical pizzazz from her mother Judy Garland, but also her tendency for drug and alcohol addiction.

While the innate pressure of Mars-Saturn aspects often drives a person to drink, Neptune is also generally prominently placed. Minnelli's Mercury-Venus conjunction opposes Neptune in the sixth house of health, and this polarity astrologically reflects the chronic health crisis engendered by her addictions.

Still, Mercury forms a favorable trine to reform-minded Pluto, an aspect which doesn't allow her to sink too far into despair and hopelessness. Pluto happens to be the ruler of her seventh house of partners, and was activated on March 16, 2002 (by the progressed Moon), which was the day she married Gest. Apparently Gest's help became too critical, and now that transiting Saturn is squaring Minnelli's Neptune, she wants to devote full time to managing her own recovery program.