Don't see the information you searched for? Please visit the WolfStar Archives.
May 8, 2006
Patrick Kennedy's Inheritance
Talking heads inside the Beltway are all a-buzz over Congressman
Patrick Kennedy's "accident" last Thursday, and whether
or not he received special treatment. As the son of Ted Kennedy
and nephew of President John Kennedy, Patrick inherited a family
legacy as famous for its political clout as its self-destructive
behavior. The incident fits a clear pattern going back to the foundation
of the Kennedy Clan in 1914.
Patrick Kennedy was born with his Sun in Cancer, the sign of the
family dynasty (July 14, 1967; 2:33 pm; Brighton, MA). With Pallas,
the political asteroid, exactly trine his Scorpio Ascendant, he
has a keen sense of strategy, which he has parlayed into a powerful
position on the Appropriations Committee. A Moon-Mars conjunction
in the secretive twelfth house shows he does most of his work behind
the scenes.
Like other members of the Kennedy Clan, he has a strong tendency
to undermine his own ambition, which is another manifestation of
his Moon-Mars conjunction in the twelfth house of self-undoing.
With Neptune Rising exactly trine his Sun, he has empathy and compassion
for the underdog, but this placement also makes him susceptible
to drug abuse, which previously manifested with cocaine in his teen
years.
Neptune was Rising when he ran into a policeman with his lights
out at 2:45 am, May 4. Neptune, the ruler of drugs, reflects his
wobbly behavior, and he claims he had just taken Ambien, a sleeping
pill. Also, the ruler of the event chart is erratic Uranus, which
was closely linked to Mercury and Mars by aspect. This combination
has a checkered history* in the Kennedy Clan, and is responsible
for more than one fall from grace.
Pentagon Spending,
The Retreating Mars, Part 3
A Task Report on Pentagon spending issued last week recommended
that the Pentagon cut $62 billion from unnecessary Cold War weapons
programs, and focus more on programs that address current issues,
such as the proliferation of nuclear weapons and homeland security.
Aside from the authors' widely acknowledged, bipartisan expertise*,
the report should have a significant influence since it fits current
astrological conditions so well.
As described in Parts 1 and 2 of this series, the U.S. progressed
Mars is turning retrograde on September 1, 2006. For the last 235
years, progressed Mars has been in forward motion, and now it's
about to reverse course. As Mars, the natural ruler of military
affairs, changes direction, so too does the Pentagon, or at least
it should if it remains in the flow of reality.
The problem is that the Pentagon is the world's largest bureaucracy,
and it changes very slowly. When Mars is retrograde, getting the
assertion level just right becomes difficult. One can become too
aggressive, too reserved, or head in the wrong direction. When considering
America's war machine, this becomes a titanic problem. As the Task
Force noted, Pentagon priorities don't reflect actual threats.
The report was aimed at changing the Pentagon's budget for fiscal
2007, which begins this coming October 1, right after Mars turns
retrograde. It recommends cutting space-based weapons, and other
technological dinosaurs. The report closely matches the introspective
meaning of Mars turning retrograde in Libra, as exemplified by this
statement: "What we need is a systematic, comprehensive examination
of security spending and a search for the right balance of security
tools."
Tom Hanks in The Da Vinci Code
Two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks - one of the world's most
bankable stars - is making the talk show circuit this week
to promote The Da Vinci Code, which premiers May 19. Aside from
an innate friendliness, and a talent for mimicking and entertaining,
one might wonder why this rather mediocre actor has become a superstar,
with his films grossing over $3.1 billion.
Tom Hanks was born with his Sun in family-friendly Cancer (July
9, 1956; 11:17 am; Concord, CA), and Venus in witty Gemini on his
career-point, the Midheaven. This combination accounts for his early
success in engaging romantic comedies. Many of his planets are exactly
aligned with planets in the U.S. horoscope, so that he personifies
a variety of American archetypes. Not the least of these is his
Virgo Ascendant, which is conjunct the U.S. Neptune, the natural
ruler of film.
His Midheaven and Venus happen to be conjunct the U.S. Mars, allowing
him to animate D-Day in Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, as well
as late 20th century American history in the chronicles of Forrest
Gump. As for his recent foray into Christian mysteries, Hanks' Midheaven
is ruled by Mercury, which is found at 5º47 Cancer, in an exact
conjunction with the U.S. Jupiter, the natural ruler of religion.
We can expect Hanks' activity level to increase dramatically over
the coming year, as transiting Jupiter and Uranus form favorable
trines to his Sun (and progressed Sun sextiles Mercury, progressed
Mars conjoins his Descendant). He's already announced his next film
(How Starbux Saved My Life), and is in discussions with Charlize
Theron to play Marilyn Monroe in Goddess.
