March 1, 2004

Aristide Flees

Following pressure from the United States and France, Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide fled his country on Sunday, leaving a power vacuum in his wake. Also last week, a convicted Haitian drug lord testified he couldn't have shipped 30 tons of cocaine between Colombia and Florida without paying the Aristide government millions in bribes. The loose federation of rebels stands to take over a lucrative smuggling operation under the guise of restoring democracy.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide was born a turf-oriented Cancer (July 15, 1953; Port-Salut, Haiti; time unknown), with his Sun conjunct Mars to give him plenty of determination and a fighting spirit. His Sun-Mars combination is tightly aligned with a powerful outer planet dynamic involving Uranus, Saturn and Neptune. This configuration puts Aristide at the center of Haiti's intense geopolitical and class conflict.

Aristide was first elected President on December 16, 1990 as transiting Saturn opposed his Sun. In mid-September 1994 20,000 U.S. troops landed to restore his leadership as transiting Uranus-Neptune conjunction opposed his Sun. Currently, Aristide is in one of those celestial battle zones as transiting Pluto and Chiron are both making hard aspects to his Sun.

This coming week transiting Mars joins the fray. Mars was the activating planet the last time he was deposed on September 30, 1991, but this time he anticipated the rapidly approaching threat to his own life. Aristide's horoscope, with its blend of personal planets enmeshed with the transpersonal planets, reflects how the individual can get caught up in powerful geopolitical cross currents.

Baby Boomers Breaking the Bank

Last week Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan warned the nation's economic planners that the federal deficit will begin exploding when the first wave of Baby Boomers begins retiring in four years. He gave two options for getting out of the looming financial quagmire, either reduce Social Security benefits or raise taxes. President Bush and the two leading Democrat contenders all dismissed cutting benefits.

Greenspan's comments fit the potential catastrophic economic collapse associated with Pluto transiting through the nation's second house of money. Pluto's passage here corresponds to the sign of Sagittarius. In the past century Saturn has been in this house three times, and twice it brought stock market crashes (1929 and 1987) while in late Sagittarius. Between 1977 and 1981 when Neptune visited this house (and in late Sagittarius), Americans experienced a troublesome inflationary spiral.

On Friday the Congressional Budget Office forecast a $2.75 trillion deficit increase over the next decade. However, Pluto leaves Sagittarius by 2008, so that any major economic disaster would most likely hit before then. This time frame closely parallels the first wave of Baby Boomers' retirement schedule, since any economic panic will likely begin just before the inadequate funds meet the demands for benefits.

Jupiter is the planet associated with the feeling of prosperity and well-being. In the summer of 2007 several planetary assaults* hit the U.S. Jupiter, pointing to a potential collapse of economic confidence. Under normal circumstances, these astro-events would not be especially significant, but Pluto's simultaneous passage in the second house is a red flag to take care of the nation's financial assets.

Natalie Wood, A Complex Mystery

The ABC made-for-TV movie "The Mystery of Natalie Wood" takes an in-depth look at one of Hollywood's brightest stars, from her beginning as a child actor to her tragic drowning at age 43. Although tabloid accounts of her death have often pointed to murder, the mystery portrayed in this dramatization is more about her personal psychology and complex emotional life.

Natalie Wood was born in the feeling-oriented sign of Cancer (July 20, 1938; 11:16 am; San Francisco), with her Sun conjunct Mars and Pluto to intensify and energize her inner state of being. When we look at her on film, we can see the aristocratic, well-mannered persona characteristic of a Libra Ascendant. But we also sense her seething emotions, so that every nuance conveys the hint of stormy passions lurking below the surface.

Natalie's Moon is exalted in Taurus and fortified with a trine to Venus and a sextile to Jupiter. This combination is generally blessed with financial security, an affectionate and loving nature, and self-confidence. However, her Moon also forms a very intense square to Pluto, and this aspect alone is responsible for so much of the turmoil in her life, including a domineering mother and a fear of drowning.

Natalie Wood drowned during the night of November 29, 1981. At the time transiting Jupiter and Uranus were forming a conjunction while exactly opposite her Moon. Also at the time transiting Saturn opposed her natal Saturn in the seventh house of partners. We can't say whether or not she was murdered from this aspect, but we can say that the romantic triangle between her and her love interests, Robert Wagner and Christopher Walken, weighed heavily on her mind.


* According to the Scorpio Rising horoscope, the progressed Midheaven squares Jupiter in 2007. Also, the progressed Part of Fortune opposes Jupiter, transiting Neptune forms a trioctile to Jupiter (135 degree aspect or sesquisquare), and transiting Saturn octiles (semisquares) Jupiter - all in 2007.