Asteroid-World Fall 1997
Zip Dobyns
In recent months, the major news media have been headlining a current weather phenomenon called El Niño, which is Spanish for “the child.” The name refers to the “Christ Child” and was chosen when the phenomenon was initially observed around Christmas. It is world-wide, bringing changes in the temperature and wind patterns in the Pacific ocean with resulting shifts in rainfall that produce droughts in some areas and floods in others. Droughts have already wreaked havoc in Australia, Indonesia, and especially its island of Sumatra. Individual farmers and giant corporations there traditionally burn many acres of forest to get more clear land for agriculture and cattle, and the monsoon rains which normally follow extinguish the fires. In 1997, the rains did not come. Major parts of S E Asia, including Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines, experienced choking smoke for months. Sydney, Australia’s largest city, as well as Perth, have been threatened with huge fires. The west coast of South America experienced the opposite problem, devastating floods in normally dry areas. Increased illnesses including malaria and cholera may follow.
As this is written in December 1997, the researchers who have been observing El Niño are still not certain that the west coast of the U.S., especially southern California, will receive excessive rain during this winter, but the odds lean in that direction. Heavy rain may also hit the rest of the southwestern U.S. while the northwest coast and the rest of the northern U.S might actually have less than normal rainfall or snow. Scientists are continuing to increase their understanding of the weather, but forecasting global patterns is a work in progress. One expert thinks that the current El Niño has already peaked and is retreating, while another expert says it is likely to be the worst in recorded history and may last into the summer of 1998. Our winter rains did start earlier than usual this year, and Laguna Beach and Orange County have already had floods. Florida and Texas have also had unusually heavy rains for this time of year. Mississippi has been shocked by heavy snow and some of the center of the northern U.S. tier of states has had milder than usual spells.
Earlier this year, The Mountain Astrologer asked me to write a very short forecast for California. Due to very limited allotted space, I just touched on the current mundane chart I call Earth-Mars, which suggested that the two years from March 17, 1997 to April 24, 1999 could be a crisis time for the west coast. As I have written before, this type of chart is calculated for the moment when a planet opposes the Sun. Conjunctions of major planets have long been used in mundane astrology as tools for forecasting the period until the next similar conjunction. The possibility that the planetary oppositions to the Sun could also be useful was suggested by one of our subscribers, based on the theory that during such oppositions, the heliocentric view, looking from the Sun, sees the Earth and the other planet conjunct. The patterns could be a key to how Earth will handle the parts of life associated with the other planet. As with conjunctions, eclipses, and cardinal ingress charts, such mundane charts are relevant until the next repetition of the aspect. Our subscriber, Helen Clerf, had discovered that the Sun-planet oppositions often fell on the angles in areas which experienced dramatic events associated with the nature of the planet. Uranus was on the Ascendant in Chernobyl in the Earth-Uranus chart before the nuclear power plant exploded. Pluto was on the Ascendant at Mount St. Helens in the Earth-Pluto chart before its eruption, and also at Waco before the debacle involving David Koresh and his followers.
The Earth-Mars charts have been among the most impressive. Mars was on the MC in Baghdad in the chart prior to the Gulf war and, of course, during and after it. Mars was on the MC in Belgrade and Bosnia during the worst of the Bosnian civil war with its horrifying ethnic cleansing. The Earth-Mars chart for March 17, 1997 put Mars on the MC in Los Angeles and San Diego. Farther north, the Mars-Sun line runs up through the central valley of California, and, of course, through Oregon, Washington, and Canada. If we allow a five degree orb to consider the MC conjunct a planet, Mars-Sun would be on the MC-IC through a range of longitudes from about 111 to 121 west. However, we have the further complication of Venus in 22 Pisces and the lunar nodes in 28-29 Virgo-Pisces, forming an extended configuration. Also, the East Points in late Sagittarius will be approximately square the MCs and the Mars-Sun line. (As our regular readers know, I use both the “mean” and the “true” ways of calculating the lunar nodes. In the CCRS charts, the north node is the true node and the south node is the mean or average node.) As we go east, the angles move into early Libra for the MC and early Capricorn for the East Point, so they square Mercury in 2 Aries, and still farther east, Saturn in 8 Aries. As we move north and the coast angles to the west, we get earlier degrees on the Ascendant. In the Bay area in northern California, the Ascendant is conjunct Pluto. By Seattle, it is back to 29 Scorpio where it trines the south lunar node, so the northwest does look less threatened than California. Along the coast in southern California, the Ascendant is in 10 to 12 Sagittarius, holding a quincunx to the Moon.
Since Pluto is a water planet and Mars is fire, my guess for The Mountain Astrologer was floods in the north and fires (later in the summer) in southern California. So far, it looks more like floods everywhere. Hindsight, we can always find something in astrology to fit. The Moon in its own sign and close to the 8th house cusp plus the stellium in Pisces in the natural house of the Moon certainly connect water to homes and the land. Mars carried to excess can be associated with almost any kind of violence, so it could include homes or other structures destroyed by water, whether by ocean waves or inland floods or water-saturated sliding hills. Crops could be damaged, and power outages also fit the potential. Downed power lines may produce fires, and the use of hazardous kerosene heaters, candles, etc., that are brought out when the electricity fails, can lead to fires.. Another possibility, though it seems less likely, would be earthquakes and/or volcanic eruptions in the Mammoth Lakes region which could disrupt the supply of water to Los Angeles.. L.A. gets a majority of its water from this region. It would be an interesting mixture of fire and water if a volcano cut off water supplies. If the rains in southern California continue beyond their normal period from December into March, and even if they are just extra heavy, the growth of vegetation will produce a threat of major fires later in the summer of 1998. When I first discovered the position of Mars in this chart, I wondered about riots and arson. We had fewer fires than usual in southern California in the summer of 1997, but one young volunteer fireman actually set over a dozen fires in the San Diego area before he was caught. Unfortunately, since this chart is valid until April 24, 1999, we may still see human violence in response to the loss of welfare, public aid for legal immigrants, job opportunities for minorities, etc. In the wake of its economic crises, Mexico is experiencing a crime wave. California jails are already over-crowded following the passage of the law which condemns third offense felons to a lifetime in prison, but we may have only seen the beginning of the problems. Astrology shows psychological principles and many different details are always possible.
After it occurred to me that the Earth-Mars chart might be pointing to El Niño, among many possibilities, I looked for relevant asteroids in the chart, including Flood, Oceana, Poseidon for the Greek Neptune, Edisona for the electric power situation, Sisyphus who had to keep climbing a hill and then sliding down, and Atlantis for the myth of sinking into the ocean. Other potentially relevant asteroids would include the ones connected to health, death, finances, and business. I also decided to do the Earth-Neptune chart which would cover the winter of 1997-8, and to check the Capricorn 1997 Ingress for major west coast cities. When working with mundane charts, it is customary to do them for the capital of the country in which you are interested, in addition to the local regions. If anything major is slated to happen, it will affect the government as well as the local areas, so I also looked at the charts in Washington, DC. Finally, I started looking for people who lived very close to the ocean in order to check their personal charts for the coming winter. Obviously, there are never enough hours in the day to do everything, but the balance of this Asteroid-World will report what I have found so far.
As already mentioned above, the Earth-Mars chart has challenging aspects to the angles of coastal California as well as for inland areas in the northern part of the state. The federal and state governments have been working to clean out clogged run-off channels and to strengthen dikes, but much remains to be done. In addition to Pluto on the Ascendant in the Bay area, Vesta, a key to jobs and health, squares Pluto-Ascendant. For additional emphasis, Vesta is conjunct Icarus (overreach), Poseidon, and Hooveria (named for the famous president of the great depression). Hoover will always be associated in our minds with the need for government help in a very difficult situation. Two potentially relevant asteroids are in 5 Cancer holding quincunxes to Pluto and the San Francisco Ascendant: Flood and Wilson for the current governor of California. Wilson governs from Sacramento, the state capital, which is about one degree east of San Francisco, so its angles are well within the orb of the listed aspects. Edisona in 5 Virgo forms a T-square with oppositions to the Pisces group mentioned above and squares to Pluto and the bay area Ascendant. Transiting Mars, Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter move through early Pisces from late January into early March in 1998, and Mars, Mercury and the Sun oppose the chart Mars in late February and the first half of March in addition to aspecting the MCs and East Points through an extensive area. My tentative forecast pinpoints that period as the most challenging one. Some of the other potentially relevant asteroids are Oceana in 16 Gemini trioctile Chiron and forming a T-square to two planetary nodes, north Juno in 16 Virgo and south Uranus in 16 Sagittarius. The south node of Juno is on Venus, connecting the principles of personal money and possessions (Venus) with joint resources in general (Juno, which is like Pluto). Also, like Pluto, Juno can also be a key to death. The south node of Uranus closely opposes the Los Angeles Ascendant. In light of its association with the unexpected, this could mean less rain than anticipated. On the day that Laguna Beach got 7 ½ inches in 24 hours, there was also heavy rain north of L.A. but only a moderate amount in L.A. However, I would not bet on that, with the Moon quincunx L.A.’s Ascendant and its Antivertex on Neptune. The latter aspect is even closer as you move south from L.A. One interesting conjunction is Gaea (earth) on Ate (a goddess associated with evil in the ancient Greek pantheon). They are in 17 Taurus octile Mercury, and they octile/trioctile the MC and East Point as you move east from the coast, implying that the danger to earth is not just from the ocean. Atlantis opposes Jupiter across the houses of money and possessions, and it is octile/trioctile the Sun-Mars opposition as well as the San Diego East Point. The asteroid named for San Diego is in 2 Virgo quincunx Mercury. Starr is rising in both L.A. and S.D., perhaps just pointing to the media attention to the region. We have certainly had a lot of that already. Columbia (for our capital?) and Apollo (for prominence?) are both on the L.A. Descendant while Rockefellia (wealth?) is on the S D Descendant. Washingtonia for our capital is in 20 Gemini square the SF MC. There are aspects to the death goddesses but they are not really highlighted. Libitina in 1 Aquarius is trioctile Oceana and square Chiron and the healer Hygiea in 1 Taurus. Hel in 28 Aries is quincunx the north lunar node. Hela in 10 Leo is octile/trioctile the MC-IC in Los Angeles and along the coast for some miles north of it.
A quick look at the Earth-Mars chart calculated for Washington, DC suggested that our government may be involved in the weather situation, but will certainly have more that that on its mind during the two-year period of this chart. When we change the location of a chart, only the houses change. The planets are calculated for Greenwich time for the whole earth, so we mostly focus on the new angles. The asteroid Russia turned up on the Washington Descendant and the MC opposes Germania, China, and Bacchus, and it squares Somalia. The latter has cost us some U.S. troops after Bush sent them to provide humanitarian aid, and the Somalis are currently dying from El Niño floods. Bacchus is the Roman version of Dionysus, associated with religious fanaticism, drugs, and alcohol. Drugs are certainly a major problem in our nation’s capital. China is a constant concern for several reasons. Germany is both a principle ally in keeping the world’s economy stable and an economic rival. Asia is on the Ascendant when the chart is calculated for New York, our financial capital where Wall Street is feeling the results of their economic crisis. Atlantis squares the NY MC, an appropriate aspect for an intensely competitive city. Returning to the Washington chart, America and Nemesis flank the 8th house cusp, suggesting that some financial concerns might be justified. Saturn is quincunx the MC, which hints at changes in the handling of executive power. Or, in the 3rd house, it could be media challenges to the power establishment or just bad press for Bill Clinton. Croatia conjuncts the Antivertex and they oppose Williams, reminding us that Clinton plans a Christmas visit to Bosnia to visit our troops and he has announced that we will have to stay involved beyond the June 1998 planned time for withdrawal. It seems obvious that without the NATO forces, the Serbians would restart the civil war. The asteroid Srbija (Serbia) is on Jupiter along with Chaldaea (current Iran-Iraq) and they square the NY MC as well as Winchester, the asteroid of guns. Jupiter conjunctions can be expressed as rash actions due to over-confidence. Additional asteroids for the Near East powder keg include Sumeria quincunx America-Nemesis-8th house cusp, and Arabia opposite the Moon and Iphigenia, a sacrificed teen-ager in the Trojan wars. It is typically the young who are most vulnerable, and Medea (who killed her children) square Mars-Sun is not reassuring.
There are lots more aspects which could be listed, but we had better move on to the Earth-Neptune chart. The Mars charts occur at intervals of a little over 2 years while the outer planet charts last a little over 1 year. The relevant Earth-Neptune chart runs from July 21, 1997 to July 23, 1998. The Ascendants on the chart range from 2 Taurus in San Diego back to 27 Aries in San Francisco, but then reverse and return to 3 Taurus in Seattle. Of course, Seattle is not really on the coast. Saturn is on the East Point for a stretch of the coast north of Santa Barbara, and close enough to count for all of coastal California when we allow about a 3 degrees orb. Since we are especially looking for angle aspects to the Neptune-Sun opposition, northern California is in the target zone with Neptune-Sun in 28 Capricorn-Cancer. The cardinal cross is reinforced by Vesta exactly on the Ascendant in the bay area, Pallas square it, and Chiron opposing it. I do think the rains will come, though a trine from Venus to the SF Ascendant may mean their preparations will be protective. I checked several cities which are near the coast, and found the 27 Aries rising from Carmel to Coos Bay, OR. 26 Aries is rising in Crescent City, CA. I am watching the asteroid Anza as a possible key to San Francisco since he was the first Spanish explorer to spot the bay. Anza is in 27 Libra in this chart, just within my one-degree orb to square Neptune-Sun. Hooveria, named for our depression president, squares them from 28 Aries. Poseidon is quincunx the Ascendant from 26 Scorpio. Flood and Hela are conjunct Venus to join its trine to the Ascendant. Angelina, a potential asteroid for Los Angeles, and asteroid San Diego are both in 25 Virgo trining Pallas. The trines might be protective, or they might simply connect the asteroids to the cardinal cross. Several asteroids are strongly aspected in the 4th house including Washingtonia and Hephaistos (who worked with tools) conjunct the Sun. Rockefellia, Oceana, and Dunant (Red Cross) are all in 2 Leo square the Ascendants in many areas. Siva in 27 Capricorn squares the coastal Ascendants from mid-California into Oregon. The asteroid America in 14 Virgo is conjunct Nemesis and forms a yod (double quincunx) to the Moon and the Antivertexes in L.A. and S.D. There is also an asteroid named Ventura which we can use for the city (and county) north of L.A. In this chart, it is in 8 Gemini conjunct Hel and octile the East Points from Ventura south to S.D. Sisyphus, Rockefellia, and Richter (earthquakes) range from 16 to 18 Virgo, so they square Phaethon in 16 and California in 18 Gemini, and are octile the cluster in 2 Leo and trioctile the Ascendants in places with early Taurus rising. Gaea in 7 Cancer is quincunx Uranus. Obviously, there are also aspects involving the standard planets. Pluto is octile many of the MCs and quincunx the Ascendants in early Taurus. Mars opposes many of the Antivertexes and squares the MC in the bay area.
A quick look at the angles in Washington and New York in the Earth-Neptune chart shows some interesting aspects. Venus exactly sextiles the 27 Gemini Ascendant in New York and they form a yod to Neptune and Pallas in the 8th house. A yod or double quincunx usually shows a need for analysis and discrimination in a less than satisfying situation. The placement of Neptune-Sun in the financial houses points to emphasis in the areas of personal income and possessions versus joint resources, debts, taxes, etc. The harmony aspects between Saturn-Vesta in Aries, the Washington and NY Ascendants, and Mercury-Venus in Leo do not point to a general crisis. In fact, Jupiter in its own house and Chiron, an alternative Jupiter, form a grand trine with the Ascendants in air signs and fire houses. If anything, the patterns look like over-confidence of some sort. Mars trines the Moon to repeat the idea. Pluto in Sagittarius trines Juno, an alternative Pluto, and sextiles Uranus to say it again. But Pluto also square the MCs and Juno is quincunx them. The chart may be warning us to stay realistic. The Pisces south lunar node in the house of executive power gives us the same message, especially since the nodes square the Ascendants, most exactly the Ascendant in Washington. One possible interpretation of the chart would be a continuation of the periodic ups and downs of stocks and bonds as sentiment swings between over-optimism versus pessimism, probably connected to good versus bad news from Asia.
Moving to the Capricorn ingress, the Sun turned up on the MC in San Francisco and for a major stretch of coast south of the city as well as all the way north to Seattle. That certainly looks like northern California, Oregon, and Washington will be in the limelight during this three months ingress period. The Sun also squares the Ascendants through the same range, and the Moon is exactly on the Descendants to form a T-square which becomes a grand cross when we include the IC. To add to the crisis potential in the mutable sign cross, the midpoints of Saturn with the lunar nodes form a second T-square with the Moon. Saturn/north node is in 28 Gemini and Saturn/south node is in 28 Pisces. A major time of learning is implied. The lessons, including feedback coming from past actions, could be scheduled for the public, or it could relate to the way the power-elite are dealing with the public. The patterns also could fit the anticipated weather and water consequences for land and homes. Typically, several of the potential details implied in an astrological configuration will be part of the picture. Life is an “and,” not “either/or.” Since all of the angles move into new signs at the same time when an Ascendant moves into Aries or Libra, the East Point and the Antivertex, our two auxiliary Ascendants, join the Ascendant so they are in the same degree at the end of Pisces and Virgo and at the beginning of Aries and Libra. In this chart, the Sun squares all three of these angles which signify personal identity in action. West coasters can anticipate continuing to be a focus for media attention. The only El Niño prediction which has so far been inaccurate was for a drier than normal winter for the northwest while California was wetter. So far, it’s water all the way.
Though the preceding aspects certainly indicate challenges for some people, others are going to be doing very well with a stellium in the sign and house of Aquarius, including Jupiter holding sextiles to Mercury in Sagittarius and Saturn and Vesta rising in Aries. The patterns fit a major expansion of human knowledge, probably including advanced technology. The weather scientists will at least know a lot more about El Niño by the Aries ingress in late March. Roofers and other construction workers are already enjoying a boom in their business. Work is clearly highlighted when Vesta and Saturn get together, and health could also be an issue. Possibilities range from strong work accomplishments, to an anxious search for jobs which pay a living wage, to a focus on training efforts, government regulations regarding employment, etc. Serious water damage can bring business to construction workers, as suggested above, but it can also put businesses out of business temporarily or permanently. A continued focus on HMOs, Medicare, and health in general fits the Vesta-Saturn connection. Vesta orbits the Sun in approximately 4 years, so at slightly longer intervals, it conjuncts Saturn. These two factors are the workaholics of the zodiac. Individuals born at such times may be movers and shakers of the world, driven by the need to achieve and a tendency to tunnel vision. Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Ram Dass are current examples. The capacity for tunnel vision may also produce monsters like Jim Jones and Jeffrey Dahmer. During the intervals when Vesta and Saturn are close, there also may be shocking events as individuals with that potential become more focused and ruthless, intent on personal aims and sometimes oblivious to the effects they are having on others. The positive aspects to Vesta and Saturn in this chart would fit some major successes, but they might be costly for ordinary workers and involve ethical issues in the handling of joint resources. Saturn is closely quincunx the north lunar node in Virgo and Chiron in Scorpio. Extra problems for workers in California are suggested by the asteroid California in 18 Cancer in the 4th house where it is conjunct Fama, square Vesta, and just one minute over a one-degree quincunx to Mercury. Farm workers could be especially hit, and media attention is likely.
One of the important aspects is a conjunction of Saturn with ASCII, which is the acronym for a basic character set used by computers. ASCII defines what numeric values stand for what symbols, including punctuation marks, digits, letters, etc. It is the foundation for almost all texts produced on computers, for business and for communications by E-Mail and the Internet. Its conjunction with Saturn could support technical advances during this period, or new regulations, or just a continued power struggle over the control of computer information exchange. The current confrontation between the government and Microsoft in the latter’s browser war with Netscape is one obvious example of the issues.
To support our El Niño scenario, Poseidon in 13 Capricorn squares Saturn, though it is also sextile-trine the lunar nodes. Dunant, connected to the Red Cross, is on the north lunar node, suggesting that the organization may be providing assistance to the public. Oceana is conjunct the Moon and Rockefellia is just short of conjuncting Oceana, but connected by being within my one-degree orb of a square to the Saturn/north lunar node. If we associate the Rockefellers with banks, oil, and wealth, the aspects could, as usual, point to a variety of details involving those areas. Property damage could mean loan losses or foreclosures which would leave banks or individuals able to buy the property richer in the end. The loss of oil tankers or pipe lines could drive up the cost of oil, so losses would be measured against higher prices. In the end, the probable result would be to continue the current trend of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
The asteroid Wilson, for the current governor of California, is on the Descendant in San Diego, the city of which he was once the mayor. Pallas trines Wilson, and in light of its political connotations, his actions during the winter will probably gain some political capital in the form of public favor. Eight potentially relevant asteroids run through the 12 degrees from Atlantis in 28 Libra where it squares Neptune to America in 11 Scorpio. This collection includes Flood in 1 Scorpio, Anubis (an Egyptian god of death) in 2 Scorpio, Edisona in 8 Scorpio, Psyche and Themis in 9 Scorpio, and Nemesis in 10 Scorpio. Their aspects include squares to several of the planets in Aquarius and quincunxes to the Ascendants, East Points, and Antivertexes which shift into early Aries as we move east from the west coast. As examples of this shift, the L.A. Ascendant is 6 Aries, its East Point is 4 Aries, and its Antivertex is 2 Aries. In Santa Barbara, these angles have dropped to 3, 2, and 1 Aries. Farther north, the Aries angles are present farther inland. But, as already indicated, ocean waves are not the only source of damage. Hills can slide and inland areas can flood from excessive rain.
Turning to the Capricorn ingress in Washington, DC, the grand cross formed by the Sun-Moon square plus the lesson midpoints of Saturn and the lunar nodes is moved to the cusps of the financial houses. This could mean the economy of the world remains stressed. Following the Asian economic crisis which started in July 1997, the dread word “depression” is being whispered, though most official spokespersons remain optimistic. Most of the factors in Aquarius move into the 9th house in Washington, where they trine the Ascendant and Juno for a grand trine in air signs and fire houses, an indication of mostly positive thinking. But Scorpio issues, including taxes, return on investments, insurance, etc., are certainly highlighted. In addition to the Sun on the 8th cusp, Pluto is on the Descendant and the south node of Mars is also there in 5 Sagittarius 3, while the asteroid Washingtonia in 4 Virgo 19 squares them. To add more emphasis to the picture, the Arabic Part of Death is in 4 Virgo 55 and Winchester, our asteroid for guns, is in 6 Sagittarius on Pluto. The north node of Pluto in 20 Cancer is octile the Part of Death and the north node of Neptune is on the IC. Hel is on the Ascendant for the chart calculated in New York. As with the extra asteroids, aspects to the planetary nodes are only mentioned when they are exact within a one-degree orb.
Since astrology symbolizes states of mind which may or may not produce overt events, the possibilities with these patterns could point to deaths due to El Niño’s excess water. We have already had some, but more are likely. New York’s confrontation with death could be just symbolic of stock market angst, or pressure on insurance companies. Jupiter squares the NY East Point and Flood squares the Washington Antivertex. Rockefellia is trioctile the Washington MC and Oceana just misses it. Or the murder rate might go up in either NY or Washington. There is always the possibility of another terrorist effort. The asteroid America just misses a square to the Washington MC and a quincunx to the NY Ascendant, and we might have to accept slightly wider orbs for angles since cities can cover sizable geographic areas. Their latitudes and longitudes are normally given for their centers. If actual deaths are part of the picture, Clinton is likely to be involved since Williams in 23 Scorpio is square Libitina in 22 Aquarius. But I no longer think he is personally in danger, which was a concern during his first term of office. The third of the death goddesses, Hela, is in 9 Libra conjunct Pele, a goddess of earthquakes and volcanoes, which provides another potential scenario. Any east coast involvement in either would presumably be limited to financial activity. So far, I have about eight charts of people living close to the ocean, two of them actually living on a boat in the San Pedro marina below Los Angeles. One other person lives on a hill in the L.A. area where there is a danger of earth subsidence. Since only one of these is a public figure whose horoscope is, therefore, subject to public discussion, I will just mention some of the highlights in most of the charts but will not include the actual charts.
The one public figure is Dennis Rodman, the unconventional basketball star who owns a home in Newport Beach. We have birth certificate data for Dennis which gives May 13, 1961 at 0:10 EDT in Trenton, NJ. Calculating his chart for Newport Beach puts his MC in 24 Virgo and his Ascendant in 11 Sagittarius. Those angles have relatively positive aspects to his natal planets, including a grand trine of his MC, Sun, and local Antivertex and Saturn. His local Ascendant trines Venus in 14 Aries in his local 4th house. Also in the 4th, Vesta and Ceres trine his local East Point and Uranus for a grand trine in fire signs. The aspects fit both personal pleasure associated with his California home and considerable material value. Both of these could be in some jeopardy during the coming winter. I progressed the chart to February 1 since February looked like the peak of the danger period. Dennis will have his P Sun in 27 Gemini quincunx his local Antivertex and P Saturn will have just retrograded to within one degree of the Antivertex. P Venus will be quincunx the local Ascendant and octile P Sun. All of these aspects could point to financial tensions with Venus in its own sign of Taurus, Saturn and the Antivertex in the house of Taurus, and the Sun one of the rulers of the house of Scorpio. Uranus also rules the local 2nd house and P Uranus holds a very long square to the natal Sun. Obviously, this aspect is one of the indications of Rodman’s willingness to flout convention. The Moon is another ruler of the local 8th house as well as natural ruler of land and buildings. P Moon enters Virgo in late January and stays conjunct the P and natal north node for months. P Pluto holds a very long opposition to Chiron, a square to Mercury, and a quincunx to P Jupiter in the local 2nd house. The aspects imply financial cost, but since P Moon will be sextile P local MC and it is moving in to trine the natal Moon, they may not be exorbitant. The passage of P Moon over Pluto later in the spring of 1998 could signify the cost of repairs. The picture is sharpened when we add the extra asteroids. Flood was natally retrograding in 17 Sagittarius 49 trioctile natal Mars. P Flood will be in 10 Sagittarius 29 on February 1, 1998. Since the asteroids move slowly, P Flood’s conjunction with his California Ascendant lasts for some years. Oceana was in 1 Aries 3 at birth, so Rodman’s local P MC reaches a quincunx to it during our crucial time slot, while P Oceana reaches a conjunction with Venus in early February. Sisyphus was retrograde but turned direct to return to its natal position in 1 Libra opposite Oceana. It is also quincunx P south lunar node, which could point to neighbors dealing with shared problems. P Hel in 11 Gemini opposes the Ascendant and is quincunx the P Ascendant. P Libitina in 6 Gemini squares Chiron and P Poseidon in 6 Pisces. P Hela in 14 Pisces squares natal Siva in 14 Sagittarius. Rodman’s birthplace P MC will be in 16 Sagittarius square P Karma in 16 Pisces. P Karma will also be octile natal California in 2 Taurus, while P California will be conjunct natal Sun and Libitina and square Uranus. Rodman’s birthplace P Ascendant will just have reached an opposition to Pluto and will still be quincunx natal Mars. Though it seems more likely that the events will threaten his finances rather than his life, Rodman’s chart does have major aspects involving the death asteroids. These even include the Newport Beach Part of Death in 21 Aquarius conjunct natal Hela and in a T-square to the Sun and Uranus. P Thora, a god of storms, and P Ate, considered evil by the Greeks, complete a grand cross in 21 Scorpio. In his NJ birth chart, Rodman’s P Moon is on his 8th house cusp, so his P Part of Death is on his Ascendant.
Despite all of the preceding aspects, astrology remains a key to one’s state of mind. Dennis might be thinking about death or other forms of endings. He might be reading about events in the media. He might even take personal risks during a storm. I do not see enough aspects to call for personal alarm, but I also would not rule out some danger in California. I mentioned above that I had the data for two people living on a boat. The data was obtained by a friend, and I have never met the individuals, but I did send them a tape suggesting that they might consider staying on shore for a few nights if a major storm was headed for their area. We will call them M for male and F for female. F owns the boat, and her chart certainly shows her attraction to water. Pluto was exactly on her MC at birth, and she moved to an area which put her exact Sun-Neptune conjunction on her local Ascendant. By progression, both planets maintain their conjunctions for years, but P Pluto is currently making a station, preparing to turn retrograde. Any change in direction by a progressed planet can signify a change in that area of one’s life. This could range from property damage and financial strain to changes in personal relationships to an intense emotional experience confronting death. Pluto remains sextile Sun and Neptune, so the worst-case scenario is less likely. But P Pluto is also square Saturn which is close enough to the north lunar node to make P Pluto square the Saturn/north node midpoint and the natal south node in addition to opposing the Saturn/south node which is on the natal IC. Saturn aspects do call for practicality, and, to hammer in the message in spades, F’s personal name asteroid is progressing over her IC and the Saturn/south lunar node! Her natal Saturn is on M’s name asteroid in her chart, which P Pluto continues to square. Other cautionary aspects include F’s P 8th house cusp conjunct Hel and square a combination of Richter, Belisana, and California. Her local P 8th house cusp is trioctile natal Hela in her 1st house. P Libitina opposes Nemesis and is trioctile her P Saturn, which conjuncts the asteroid Flood. P Flood and P M’s personal name asteroid remain conjunct with M’s name on F’s P Ascendant and P local East Point and opposed to her natal Moon. Whatever is slated to happen, they do seem to be in it together. P Vesta has reached Icarus and opposes F’s P local 8th house cusp. Her P Sun is conjunct P Hela and they oppose her P local Part of Death during January and February 1998. They also sextile her P MC, which carries the meaning of Saturn, so hopefully this indicates the realism to deal with the situation. They are also sextile P Oceana while the P MC trines P Oceana. The P lunar nodes are sextile-trine natal Oceana.
M’s chart has a water sign rising, Neptune in the 4th house a few degrees from the IC, and the Moon in a wide conjunction with the Sun, but the water emphasis is not as intense as it is in F’s chart. Since he was born not far from his current residence, his local angles are within a fraction of a degree of his natal ones. He also has some cautionary aspects, including his P Ascendant conjunct Saturn while P Saturn holds a long octile to his 4th house Neptune. His P Moon will form a yod to his P north lunar node and P Uranus in his 12th house and a trioctile to P Ceres, which has some connections to home. P Moon’s sextile to P Jupiter could be reassuring, but the latter holds a long T-square to the lunar nodes and a quincunx to P Uranus. It is possible to have high intelligence yet questionable judgment. M’s P Saturn is retrograding toward his name asteroid, but is about a half degree short of reaching it. His P MC has reached a square to his natal name asteroid while his P name opposes his Mercury-Mars conjunction, squares P Juno, and is quincunx his Venus. His P Flood squares P California, is quincunx P Ascendant, but trines his Vesta, which would fit facing challenges in the state but being realistic about them. Repeating the message, P Mars is closely conjunct P Sun, with both sextile M’s P MC, and the P Moon reaches a trine to P Mars in early February, 1998. Also, P Pluto holds a long trine to Oceana and P Oceana sextiles P Poseidon, though the latter opposes natal Saturn. I interpret the patterns as a need for caution plus the ability to exercise it.
Another interesting personal chart is of a lady we will call “G.” She lives in the San Diego area, not far from the ocean on one side and a large bay on the other side. Moving to this area put Chiron exactly on her local Descendant and she has found it very congenial for her studies of astrology and other new age subjects. Some of her relevant aspects include P Neptune quincunx natal Oceana in her 4th house, while P Ascendant squares and P local MC opposes P Oceana. P Flood is past her P Pluto but squares Juno and P Nemesis. P 8th house cusp and P Atlantis square natal Flood. P Mars is approaching a square to Flood and is already opposite P Atlantis, so it is connected into the configuration. P Poseidon conjuncts P Edisona. During the coming February to April G’s P Moon will square a cluster of asteroids including Aletheia (truth), Aeternitas (immortality), San Diego, and California, and it will cross P Urania. If we were not focused on the weather, we would guess that G was going to take another course in astrology. G is both idealistic and also very realistic with P Saturn on Vesta. With P Saturn approaching a quincunx to her name asteroid, she may be thinking about a new source of personal accomplishment.
Three of my personal charts are of friends who live in a mobile home park which is only about a block from the ocean. Both of the women have some aspects which seem to fit the scenario we are exploring. During what look like the peak months, H has her P Moon square P Mars and her East Point axis and opposite P Atlantis. P Venus is just starting a square to P Poseidon while P California is trioctile Poseidon and quincunx P Poseidon. P Antivertex squares P Poseidon. P MC is on Neptune and they are quincunx natal Flood. P Flood squares her local Ascendant. P Oceana squares natal Mercury, but her P birthplace Ascendant trines natal Oceana. H’s name asteroid has progressed to P Mercury and the north lunar node and it squares her Sun and P Icarus but trines Chiron. Overall, she seems likely to see some flooding, but I would not worry about her personal safety. Her friend, T, has her P Moon crossing her IC and opposing P Saturn during January to March, 1998. P Karma is also on the IC. P Oceana is on her natal Damocles and local 8th house cusp and they are also on her natal Descendant and square P Mercury. P local 8th house cusp is on natal Saturn. More reassuring aspects are P Flood on Jupiter and P Jupiter semisextile natal Flood. P Mars is octile Vesta but semisextile P Juno and natal Venus. There are aspects to the death goddesses, but like the others cited so far, they are very mixed. P Hel on Mercury could mean reading about fatalities in the media. P Hela is quincunx Flood, but trine Ceres. P Libitina is quincunx P north lunar node and opposite P Siva, but also sextile P Sun. P Poseidon squares P Ceres and is quincunx T’s birthplace Ascendant, but also sextile P Mercury and semisextile Damocles, 8th house cusp, and P Oceana. As with her friend, H, T might be a witness to problems or have some concern for personal property, including her mobile home, but I would not anticipate a personal threat.
The chart of T’s husband, R, seems similar to the other individuals living in the same Park. R has some protective aspects including P Saturn trine his Moon, P Uranus trine Poseidon, P Atlantis trine Jupiter and semisextile P local Ascendant, and a P name asteroid conjunct Venus and sextile P Juno. Fairly early in February 1998, his P Moon will also reach a trine to P Jupiter. But R has enough of our relevant asteroids to show some contact with water. P Flood is trioctile Ceres. P Oceana opposes his Antivertex and is trioctile P Saturn and P local MC, though it also sextiles P Mars and is semisextile P Sun. P Edisona is trioctile Pallas and quincunx P Flood while also sextile R’s local P Antivertex and Atlantis. Another personal name asteroid is progressing square Neptune and octile Oceana and Sisyphus. P California is quincunx P north lunar node and Poseidon, octile the local Antivertex, but sextile Saturn. Though P Moon moves into the trine to P Jupiter, it also starts a square to Edisona in early February, and P Venus reaches an opposition to R’s local Ascendant about the same time. P America is on his Mercury, square natal California and P local Antivertex, but sextile Chiron. I would assume that R will cope well with whatever El Niño delivers, with temporary power outages the most likely events.
Another San Diego resident living near the ocean we will call B. His P Moon picks out the same general time we have noted in other charts. It conjuncts Ceres and P Juno and squares Mars during the first three months of 1998, with the Mars square during February and March. By late February it also will octile P Mercury in the 4th house. Other appropriate aspects include P Venus on the A/MC axis, square natal Flood and trioctile one of B’s name asteroids. P MC is quincunx Poseidon in the 4th house, opposite natal Juno and Dunant (Red Cross) and it is close to opposing Oceana and Gaea. Since it also trines P Jupiter, which sextiles Oceana and Gaea, there is a connected network of aspects which looks protective. B is a real estate broker, so the patterns could mean business activity that would eventually work in his favor. Also, he might move. His P Mars is on natal Venus and two progressed asteroids, Sisyphus for sliding hills, and one of his name asteroids. Taken as a group, the three are sextile P Juno, semisextile P Antivertex, but also octile P Saturn and square another of his name asteroids. B’s P lunar nodes are in the financial houses and strongly aspected, squared by P Dunant, P Oceana, and P Gaea, trioctile Edisona in his 1st house and Poseidon in the 4th house, but trine the P Sun which is also in the 4th house. P Flood is on B’s P south lunar node and trioctile P Urania. P Damocles is on the natal south node. P Chiron in Pisces in the 3rd house would also fit wet neighbors with an opposition to Pluto and an octile to P Atlantis. The message is repeated with P Jupiter also in Pisces in the 3rd house conjunct P Siva but trine P California. Such mixtures illustrate the futility of trying to guess precise details. We can speculate that El Niño will be an inconvenience to many people in B’s area, but that he is not in personal danger and could profit from it in time.
We will conclude with a lady we will call D who lives on a hill in the Los Angeles area. The circumstances of her residence do suggest a danger of earth slippage which could dump mud into her back yard and home. She has taken out flood insurance. Whether it is her insurance or her area will be spared a worst-case scenario, D’s P Moon looks protective sextile P Ceres, trine P Juno, and past a square to P local Antivertex by mid-January 1998. Despite those protective aspects, we can’t rule out an event which would alter her routine since P Moon will form a double quincunx to her name asteroid and P America. Her P name asteroid opposes P Saturn, but in the mental houses, this looks more like worry than drastic events with her south lunar node sextile her name and in a grand trine to her local Ascendant and P Saturn. Her natal Moon is conjunct Flood, but they are also in a grand trine to Venus, P Karma, and P Urania, though P Flood is also quincunx P Mars and square D’s natal Sun. P Mars opposes a 4th house Neptune but sextiles natal Sun. P Atlantis is on her natal East Point sextile P Poseidon on one side and Juno and Pluto on the other side. Though she is not close to the ocean, the El Niño weather is theoretically caused by conditions in the Pacific ocean. Power outages are possible anywhere, but D’s P Edisona trines her Pallas. Its octile to Chiron might mean a time with less light for reading. D does have her P local MC on P Uranus, but they are trine Ceres and the asteroid I am testing for Los Angeles, Angelina. Since D’s only real danger is from a sliding hill, I was most interested in checking Sisyphus. I decided D was pretty safe when I found P Sisyphus in a grand trine with natal Saturn and Urania. Though I will still check any charts I receive that belong to people who might be threatened by our looming El Niño, in the end, even with astrology, we still have to wait to see what the future brings.