The Daily Astro for November 6, 2012

 

“ Like the castle in its corner
  In a medieval game
  I foresee terrible trouble
 And I stay here just the same.”

–Steely Dan, from “Dirty Work”

Well, it’s Election Day here in the U.S. The Moon’s in Leo today (the same sign as President Obama’s Sun and Mercury), and the Sun’s in Scorpio (the same sign as Mitt Romney’s Moon). I haven’t had time to really get into the aspects or excavate the mysteries of the charts of today’s contenders (Hurricane Sandy screwed up my schedule just a bit), so I don’t have any brilliant predictions about this race. My feeling has been that whoever wins it will wish they hadn’t due to extremely volatile and difficult conditions over the next few years. I also suspect it’s going to be “deja vu all over again” due to Mercury turning stationary direct today at 6:04 PM EDT. It’s in Sagittarius, and it’s moving towards a square (stress) to Neptune, which recently turned direct. This combination leads me to believe that we’re going to have some communication breakdowns and a lot of trickster energy unleashed. Mercury/Neptune aspects operate like a huge fog bank, obscuring, obfuscating, and confusing. Mercury is associated with not only communication but machinery and the daily details of life. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have problems with getting people to the polls (short-range travel is ruled by Mercury), and people being confused about where to vote, especially in the wake of the chaos delivered by Hurricane Sandy. Things won’t work, will break down–or we may find someone’s tampering with the machinery on all levels. People can’t connect, vital information is not relayed, people “forget” to do what they’re supposed to, things disappear into the ozone and thievery isn’t out of the question under this aspect. Misinformation campaigns may be rampant and with Neptune in Pisces, we may find that people are marginalized or disenfranchised. It may feel like a repeat of the situation in 2000, and indeed, we may not really discover the results of this election for several weeks. No one will be too happy with the results as there will be suspicion on both sides.

Today also features a Last Quarter Square (Leo Moon to Scorpio Sun), echoing the planetary positions of the two candidates (and wow, they really don’t like each other, do they?). This just illustrates the incredible pressure-cooker atmosphere we’ve all experienced for large parts of 2012. The Moon in Leo sextiles Venus in Libra, and since the Moon rules the public and Venus relates to women, Libra to fairness, I’d hazard a guess that women are going to play a large part in this election. Libra’s about fairness and balance so women will likely vote for the candidate who they feel is less extreme and will give them a better chance to express themselves and go about their daily lives with less restriction, so President Obama (with Sun and Mercury in Leo) will probably gain more of the women’s vote. With Mercury, the ruler of Gemini in Sagittarius and Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius, in Gemini, we have a mutual reception, which emphasizes the focus on communication, both long-distance (Sagittarius) and local (Gemini). “Getting the word out” will be very important. Of course it could also indicate that things get very screwed up in a very big (Jupiter) way. There can be problems with email and absentee ballots, or anything done “from afar”. Another clinker is the Saturn/Uranus inconjunct. Saturn in Scorpio and Uranus in Aries aren’t too comfortable working together (even though they share Mars as a ruler, in the case of Aries, and co-ruler, with Scorpio). This is another aspect that can show things breaking down due to an inability to “connect”, so power outages or blowouts, overloaded circuits and infrastructure snafus can take things down in an instant. (Many people don’t have homes, power or light due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy). Nothing is going to be easy. And the aspects for the rest of the month, plus the upcoming eclipses, are going to make this a very difficult period on many levels. I expect a great deal of agitation and unrest. People are going to be easily triggered. We have quite a few people who are homeless and getting desperate; their patience will run out. Add to that a volatile, polarized election with confusing, delayed, or contested results and the next few weeks are likely to bring on the chaos on a national scale.
Sabian Symbol for today’s Sun: “Children playing around five mounds of sand.”
Kozminsky Symbol for today’s Sun: “ A large ship ashore on an ironstone coast, waves dashing over her.”
Keyword for the Sabian Symbol is: “NAIVETE.”
The Keyword for the Kozminsky Symbol is “CONFLICT.”

Today’s Sabian Symbol for the Sun focuses on the development of the 5 senses (mounds of sand) and the need to learn through experience. We need to make up our own minds and think for ourselves. Since 5 is a number of change and variety, it may show a certain restlessness and desire to mix it up, to look for new horizons. This Symbol tells us that we need to approach things with a new vision, to look at things as though we are seeing them for the first time, with childlike wonder and abandon. It’s about discovery and the joy of learning, working (and playing) with others. The down side is in going too far “afield”, being scattered, or thinking if a lot is good, too much must somehow be better. The Kozminsky Symbol reminds me of the image of “the ship of State”. This Symbol, like the Sabian, is one of change and movement. Here, though, there’s a warning that we may be facing difficult times (the ship is ashore with waves washing over–an image that seems taken directly from the daily news, with all the photos of large ships stranded in people’s front yards as a result of the recent hurricane). We’re being told that we may need to alter our course to avoid disaster. This election may be pivotal, pointing out the areas of conflict and weakness in our society, stemming from an inability to communicate or work with others whose views are different from our own. We don’t want to “shipwreck” ourselves or our nation due to stubborn adherence to our own views even if it’s clear we’re on the wrong path.

Since Mercury turning retrograde is such an important player today, I’m going to take a look at the Symbols for Mercury and also for Neptune, to see if we can glean any new information about today’s “climate”.
Mercury is located at 5 degrees Sagittarius, and the Sabian Symbol for that is: “An Old Owl up in a tree”, with a keyword of “Normality”. This is a symbol of self-restraint, the wisdom of knowing when to speak and act and when to step back. It implies perspective, seeing things from a wider vantage point and realizing that the situation is complicated and requires maturity and a period of observation. With the confusing aspects in place, we may want to rush to judgment or be swayed by things that seem to be “right”, but this symbol tells us we have to get the “big picture” first, and that may not be immediately apparent. It also suggests that the results of this election may not be clear for some time.

The Kozminsky Symbol is: “A dark bank of cloud passing in front of the sun, cutting its rays from the earth”. The keyword here is “Monasticism”. Both of these symbols imply detachment, of breaking away from the consensus, the “common view” and seeking answers in solitude. The Kozminsky Symbol shows we may be entering a period of uncertainty where clarity is lost (Neptune!) and that discipline is required to emerge from this fog. It also tells us something is being hidden from us (clouds obscuring the light of the sun). This image, combined with the “ship aground”, brings to mind the anxiety and feeling of being “rudderless” that many in this country are experiencing. This is telling us “austerity measures” on some level may need to be applied. We may need to rein in some of our desires and usual behavior for the good of the whole; sacrifices may have to be made.

The Symbols for Neptune in Pisces (1 degree Neptune) are as follows: The Sabian Symbol is “A public market” with the keyword of “Commerce”.

This Symbol relates to the need for give and take for the benefit of the whole, of learning how to work collectively, combining efforts. It warns against self-centeredness and greed. Communication must be maintained–the down side of this symbol can indicate systemic breakdown due to an inability to connect or work with others or a selfish attitude and an inability to understand we are all in this together. The Kozminsky Symbol is: “A satyr sitting on a rock by a river which is running into the sea, holding a fish.”. The Keyword is “Misgiving.”

This Symbol warns against acting out through our “baser” (satyr) instincts or doing things we may later regret based on greed or selfishness. The Symbol also indicates there’s something hidden or obscured, that someone’s motives are not pure and that we need to get back to the source in order to find out what’s going on. Greed and a desire for power and domination may be one of the themes underlying today’s election and we have to decide whether we will allow ourselves to drift away on that current!

Today’s Card Draw:

As a finale, I drew two cards for President Obama and two cards for Mitt Romney:

President Obama:
Knight of Cups/7 of Pentacles

Mitt Romney:
6 of Wands/Tower

Well, for the President, he leads with his ideas and idealism (there’s a feel of “seeking the Holy Grail” here), and a sense that he aims high but perhaps needs to be more grounded in his presentation. The 7 of Pentacles is a real wild card, and often means that it’s time to take the more “bizarre” choice. This brings in an element of the unexpected. Something unusual or shocking may occur.

For Mitt Romney, the 6 of Wands is often seen as the “victory” card, so that looks quite positive, at least initially, but followed by the Tower, will it be a Pyrrhic victory? Will he win the Presidency, but have his name tarnished due to events beyond his control? Or will he seem to win but then lose when a recount is taken?

In any case, both combos seem to indicate that nothing is set in stone and just about anything can happen-and probably will. The unpredictable will have a heavy hand in this year’s election, and it could be a real wild ride! The last card I pulled, for a general summing-up, is The Empress, which indicates to me that women and issues relating to the earth and nature will prove quite important. So the women’s vote may be key, as may issues such as global warming. I think Hurricane Sandy will also play a large part as well–that storm may turn out to have packed quite a wallop not only on our coastlines, but in the outcome of this election.

—Valerie Sylvester, November 6, 2012–