September 22, 2003

The Crazy California Recall

Last week a three-judge panel postponed California's recall election due to six counties' outdated punch-card ballots. This week a panel of 11 judges will likely overturn the previous week's ruling, putting the recall back on schedule for its October 7 election. Then on Wednesday a prime time campaign debate will be the first and only forum where Arnold Schwarzenegger faces his rivals.

The wild and crazy California recall can be tracked using California's natal horoscope, set for September 9, 1850 (noon, San Jose) when the Golden State officially entered the union. California's Virgo Sun has been under major planetary assault over the past two years from transiting Saturn and Pluto (as well as progressed Saturn). Since the Sun represents the state's leadership, Governor Gray Davis has likewise been under intense political pressure.

California's chart features three planets at 29 degrees, including the epochal Uranus-Pluto conjunction in pioneering Aries. This revolutionary duo is modified by a hard aspect to expansive Jupiter, giving Californians an enthusiasm for dramatic social change, and a penchant for political extremism (in either direction). The recall effort began last February when transiting Uranus first entered the 29th degree of Aquarius.

Now Uranus is retrograding back into the 29th degree of Aquarius and accompanied by Mars, bringing the entire process into an exciting climax. As Mars turns direct just after the debate, voters will have a much better idea how to cast their ballots. And with Jupiter transiting through Virgo and heading for California's Sun, we can soon expect a return to orderly government, and the semblance of normalcy.

Bush Faces Planetary Hurdles

President Bush's approval ratings have been sliding since the hostilities in Iraq officially ended on May 1. As of last week, Bush's overall approval rating has slipped to 51 percent, reaching the previous low point. Meanwhile, General Wesley Clark's strong entrance into the presidential race made him the surprise frontrunner, though he still trails Bush when the two are matched head-to-head.

Over the next month Bush's popularity will face its biggest astrological hurdles. How well he deals with transiting Saturn turning retrograde on October 25 very close to his Sun is the first major challenge. Saturn is above all a realist, and Bush has already responded to Saturn's pressure. Sensing the turning tide against his unilateral approach in Iraq, Bush now is working with the U.N. to secure international assistance.

Another planetary hurdle is Mars. Mars turns direct just after Bush makes his appeal to the U.N. General Assembly this Tuesday. Mars begins to move forward in Pisces to oppose his own Mars, a celestial set-up guaranteed to bring him heavy criticism from his political enemies. This Mars transit won't become exact until November 5, indicating that throughout October and into November Bush will be under heavy attack.

A third planetary hurdle is Chiron, known as the Wounded Healer. Chiron is in Capricorn and heading toward an opposition to Bush's (and the U.S.) Sun. This transit is exact on November 3, but also gaining in influence throughout October. Transiting Chiron opposite Bush's Sun has the potential of making Bush a "wounded" leader, crippling him in the political sense. The leadership he demonstrates over the next six weeks will likely determine his political future.

Johnny Cash, The Man in Black

Since Johnny Cash died on September 12, his CD sales have skyrocketed, with seven of his albums currently on Billboards Top Country Albums. Cash memorabilia has become a hot item on eBay with over 5,300 items currently listed, including a signed, Martin acoustic guitar he donated in 1985 with an asking price of $15,000.

Johnny Cash was born a faith-oriented, suffering Pisces (February 26, 1932; 7:30 am; Kingsland, AR), with his Ascendant, Mercury and Mars also occupying this sign. Pisces tends to seek escape from the confines of earthly existence, and from the confines of the body which may often feel like a prison. With his Sun in the twelfth house of isolation, Johhny Cash made his mark singing to inmates, notably with his Folsom Prison and San Quentin albums.

Cash's personal fashion favored wearing dark, mostly black clothes, a style that he explained in the beautiful, haunting tune Man in Black*. While the self-sacrificing devotion to the poor, downtrodden, and hopeless can be attributed to his overwhelming Pisces influence, as a lifestyle choice those with the asteroid Vesta on the Ascendant prefer to wear black, whether or not they're evoking a humanitarian cause. Astrologers will note that when Vesta is activated by transits, the native often suddenly switches to wearing black.

Cash's Moon in Scorpio is perfectly aligned with the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant, indicating that his powerful sentimental expressions resonate deeply with the national image. He makes the country feel good. Cash's Jupiter is right on the U.S. Leo Midheaven, allowing him to become one of the nation's most successful entertainers.


* the lyrics of Man in Black can be found at
http://www.metrolyrics.com/lyrics/27703/Johnny_Cash/Man_In_Black/