The Daily Astro for August 24, 2012

Today is more than a little unsettling, as just after 9 AM here in New York City we began to receive reports of a shooting near the Empire State Building. It seems to be related to a disgruntled former  employee of a design company with offices near the landmark building. The Moon entered Sagittarius at 6:50 AM EDT today and makes square (stress) aspects to Neptune in Pisces, the Sun in Virgo, and Chiron in Pisces. The Sun opposes Neptune in Pisces. The Sun and Moon also form their First-Quarter Square, emphasizing the disconnect between pragmatic Virgo and head-in-the-clouds Moon in Sagittarius. Venus makes a stress aspect to Neptune.

So what we have, basically, is a stressful T-square with other trigger aspects. The Sun/Neptune aspect can mean we’re not seeing something clearly or are misguided or delusional, the Venus/Neptune can relate to someone who creates dreams or makes something for women (the shooter worked for a design company), and the Sun in Virgo can relate to the day-to-day work environment or working conditions. It appears that an employee was fired from a job at a design company a year ago and returned today to argue with its owner– it ended with gunfire. This person has a wound that has not healed (Chiron in Pisces) and may feel he was a victim and thus projected his anger outwards. He may have been mentally unstable (the Gemini/Sagittarius axis is currently under stress) and had probably developed a huge fantasy scenario in his head related to his work (Sun in Virgo) situation, which he sought to remedy. The Venus/Neptune connection is very sensitive and this person may have felt he was undervalued or ignored, so by confronting his former employer he was seeking to make him pay attention. There’s a lack of focus here, problems that may have been ignored or hidden, and the shooter may have a substance abuse problem or was otherwise detached from reality in recent months. Mars’ entrance into Scorpio may have been one of the trigger, related to taking action on an old grievance, something he may have been obsessing about for a long time, allowing it to fester inside until it reached the crisis point.  Chiron (the wounded healer) in Pisces is also making a stress aspect to the asteroid Eris in Aries (chaos), which brings in (again) issues of feeling like a victim and the need to take action to destroy what we feel is the source of the pain.

Obviously, we all aren’t going to have this scenario as part of our experience today, but take a look at the dynamics and remember that some variant of it may be at work.  We need to take a look at areas where we aren’t seeing things clearly and make sure our actions aren’t based on chimeras that loom large in our heads but which are distorted projections issuing from our own fears or feelings of lack. It would also be a good day to help out people who are struggling or having a hard time keeping their heads above water. Small, practical actions can mean a lot right now. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture, just a small act of kindness or acknowledgment can be a real lifeline.

Sabian Symbol for today’s Sun: “A large white cross upraised ”.
Kozminsky Symbol for today’s Sun: “A waning mon in a sky, half of which is clear and studded with stars, and half of which is covered with dark clouds which herald an approaching storm.”
Keyword for the Sabian Symbol is: “Glorification ”.
The Keyword for the Kozminsky Symbol is “ Threatenings”.

As always, check the astrology section above for correlations. The Kozminsky Symbol keys into the tarot combo of Emperor/Tower. We’re being warned in advance here to make sure that we run our lives properly, and to notice signs that tell us we’re going off the track. The half and half imagery can also relate to a divided mind and emotions, or some kind of dissociation that’s keeping us from seeing what is really going on. We’re being told to look out for people or situations that may be harmful, to be aware that warnings (often broadcast in advance), and to keep on our toes. Focus on the stars (goals, aspirations, our higher side) to get through the stormy times. (This reminds me on the tarot progression of the Tower to the Star cards as well). The Sabian Symbol focuses on being inspired by our belief system, of adhering to certain standards and to be brave in proclaiming what we believe in. This can also mean we’re willing to stick our neck out for others, to “do the right thing” against all obstacles put in our path. The negative side, of course, is becoming too set in our beliefs or thinking that you have all the answers and everyone else is wrong or stupid because they don’t believe the way that you do.  This combo makes me a bit uneasy as it seems to relate to the “true believer” scenario–people who will do anything, even cause harm to others, because they feel so strongly that they have all the answers.  With the Moon in Sagittarius we need to avoid becoming too heated up about our opinions and expressing them a little too vehemently. With the Neptune aspects, we may not realize we’re coming across the way we do–our vision of ourselves is not clear, especially with the Venus-Neptune aspect, which can be like looking into a cloudy mirror.
Born on August 24:

Mary Eastery (victim of Salem Witch trials, 1692), Ludwig II of Bavaria (“Mad King Ludwig”), Alexander II of Scotland, King John I of Castile, Lavinia Fontana (Renaissance painter), William Thomas Moncrieff (dramatist), Letizia Ramolino (mother of Napoleon Bonaparte), Geoffrey Plantagenet (France), Robert Herrick (poet), William Wilberforce (politician), Siaka Stevens (President of Sierra Leone), Pierre Sarkozy (son of president of France), Rene Levesque (Premier of Quebec), James Weddell (Antarctic explorer), Daniel Gooch (laid first successful trans-Atlantic cables), Ferdinand I (King of Romania), Fernand Braudel (historian), Leonardo Conti (Ist SA doctor, Nazi euthanasia program), Vincenzo Lancia (founder of Lancia car company), Hideo Kojima (video game creator), Jonathan Duhamel (poker champ), Kurt Brecht (DRI), Dorothy Comingore (actor/ “Citizen Kane”), A.S. Byatt (novelist), Dana Gould (comedian/writer), Pebbles (Girlfriend), Takashi Miike (filmmaker), Anne Archer (actor), Nancy Spero (artist), Roger Linn (instrument designer), Mason Williams (composer/”Classical Gas”), Oscar Hijuelos (author), Jean-Michel Jarre (musician), Charles Rocket (actor), Christine Chubbach (reporter who committed suicide during TV broadcast), Max Beerbohn (caricaturist/wit), Richard Cardinal Cushing (Roman Catholic Cardinal), Arthur Crudup (guitarist/singer), Wynonie Harris (R&B musician), Howard Zinn (historian), Louis Teicher (pianist), William Winfield (aharptones), David Freiberg (Quicksilver Messenger Service), Ernest Wright Jr. (Imperials), Tony Secunda (rock band manager), Joe Chambers (Chambers Brothers), Rupert Grint (actor/Harry Potter films), Dave Chapelle (comedian), Cal Ripken, Jr. (Baltimore Orioles baseball team), Vince McMahon (Chairman, WWE wrestling), Steve Guttenberg (comedian/actor), Carol Gambino (head of Gambino crime family), Marlee Matlin (actor), Duke Kahanamoku (surfer), Yasser Arafat (PLO leader), Durwood Kirby (first host of “Candid Camera”), Craig Kilborn (Daily Show/ESPN host/commentator), John Bush (Anthraz), Andreas Kisser (Sepultura), Colin Angus (Shamen), Mark Bedfored (Madness), Jared Harris (actor), Franz Vienboeck (cosmonaut), Stephen W. Lindsey (astronaut), Anna Lee Fisher (astronaut), Gregory Jarvis (astronaut), Richard Richards (astronaut), Stephen Fry (actor/comedian), Gerry Cooney (boxing champ), Jeffrey Daniel (Shalamar), Mike Huckabee (US Presidential candidate), Jimmy Farrar (Molly Hatchet), Paulo Coelho (novelist), Malcolm Duncan (Average White Band), Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep), Jim Capaldi (Traffic), Jean Rhys (writer), Malcolm Cowley (writer), Jorge Luis Borges (writer).

Today’s 2-Card Tarot Draw: The Emperor/The Tower

“The Mighty Have Fallen”
Well, here we have Aries (Emperor) plus the Mars force (Tower). Mars is the co-ruler of both Aries and Scorpio, so we’re bringing in that energy as well, and Mars is now in Scorpio. This can relate to the destruction of an empire, or in the fall of a situation, business or person who has been too rigid or who hasn’t been aware of warnings that everything is going to come crashing down. This combo could refer to the death or downfall of a powerful leader, ruler or king and as we see in today’s astrology, it can be violence directed against someone seen as “the boss”. This combination relates to structural weakness, literally (buildings falling down), dramatic forces changing patterns (earthquakes, weather patterns), or an individual who uses violent acts to achieve goals. Transformation is the aim, and there are many ways to get there. Too much rigidity and resistance can lead to very painful results. Think of areas in your life that need to be transformed, and where you might not be seeing what’s going on. Stay alert, and be aware of current trends–at the moment there’s a storm coming (literally–a tropical storm is forming in the Atlantic), but that isn’t the only kinds of storms brewing at the moment!  There’s a lot going on “under the radar”.
–Valerie Sylvester, August 24, 2012 —