Potent Planetary Combination Brings Big News

A rare and formidable team-up of three powerful planets, called a triple conjunction, occurred over a three-day period from April 29 to May 1 (May 2 in Europe and east of there). I wrote about it in my Janet’s Plan-its 2011 astrological calendar and then anxiously awaited what would transpire then that would pack a punch. The deadly devastating tornado outbreaks in southeastern USA just days before that time didn’t really match the associations of the planets involved, but the demise of our nation’s biggest enemy on May 1-2 sure did! And in a way, even the Royal wedding on April 29 fit the bill.

Jupiter spends about a year in a sign, usually. This year, it speeds through the zodiac’s first sign, Aries (famous for quickness), in record time from late January to early June (after a brief foray into Aries 6/6 - 9/9 last year). It spent much of 2010 buddied up with wildcard Uranus zigzagging the border between the first and last degrees of the zodiac circle. This is the point the Sun traverses each year at the vernal equinox, ending winter and rebirthing toward the summer solstice. Get the feeling of the close of one era and the start of another? As the biggest planet in our solar system, Jupiter expands or exaggerates whatever it contacts. Uranus is the planet of revolution and the populace at large. So Jupiter was revved up to spur large protests, which began as soon as it entered Aries (a sign of impatience and anger) the second time on January 22. It didn’t take long for the Egyptian President Mubarak to succumb to the rising tide of change, resigning on Feb. 11 after just 18 days of huge demonstrations.

The grand finale of Uranus in the last sign of Pisces came March 11 when the earthquake and resulting tsunami hit Japan. I had correctly predicted “ocean-related news” and “suffering of the masses” then but I hadn’t anticipated anything like the ensuing fires, explosions and meltdowns in the nuclear reactors that added awful insult to the horrendous injury immediately upon as Uranus’s entry into Aries. It should have been easy enough to guess: Uranus is the planet related to electricity, explosions and surprises, including catastrophes, while Aries signifies fire.

By the time Uranus strode into Aries March 11 to settle in for a seven-year stay, unrest across the Middle East was well underway. On April Fool’s Day (in some US time zones; April 2nd in the east), Mars stormed into the sign it “rules” (a term denoting a strong association between a planet and a sign) for a five-week visit. By the end of the month, it would pass Jupiter, which had by then caught up to the newest planet, slow Eris, named for Mars’s bitchy sister and thought to represent strife. This is the triple conjunction I had circled on my calendar and worried that some tragedy would ensue. Historically it’s been affiliated with war and turmoil, though not exclusively. For instance, at its last occurrence (in January 1940), it coincided with the first demonstration of FM radio to the FCC (Jupiter rules all forms of long distance communication and Mars relates to newness). But a Mars-Jupiter combo can spell a big conflict or attack, and blended with Eris, it certainly looked like trouble, at least for someone. As we came closer to May Day, I began to wonder if the big news would involve taking out Ghadafi. But a different prey was being sniffed down. By the weekend, the Mars’ relation to leadership and decisiveness showed itself as what’s been called a “gutsy decision” on the part of President Obama in ordering the attack on Osama bin Laden.

The exact moment his death has not been disclosed but it’s safe to say that the final hours of the decision-making do align with the Moon’s quick passage over the triple conjunction midday on Sunday, May 1. By the time of the mission that night, the Moon (which moves about a degree every two hours) was about three degrees past Eris, Jupiter and Mars. As the heavenly body that moves fastest around the zodiac, the Moon is the ultimate timer for events and showed its thrust once again.

When I think of all the disasters I had worried about prior to this big planetary line-up, I am grateful that the main manifestation was the culmination of a decade-long manhunt. BUT – and this is a big but – it remains to be seen if Eris’s association with chaos will bring unintended and unwanted repercussions in the future. A time to keep your eye on will be around May 9, when Mercury and Venus, currently traveling closely together, pass Eris (forming another triple conjunction, though a less volatile one) at the same degree of the May Day weekend triple conjunction. Mercury signals news. Venus is generally peaceful and benign. Considering they’re in Aries, there could be aggression in an attempt at balance (which Venus also rules). Already we’re seeing adversarial discussions domestically about the potential role of “enhanced interrogation” in obtaining the information to track down bin Laden and heated political disagreements about whether to release the photographic evidence of the deed. Did I mention that Jupiter is related to philosophy and politics?

Another key astrological feature present at the time of the bin Laden operation was a precise Mercury-Neptune connection, indicative of hidden information and clandestine activities, as well as the “treasure trove” of al Qaeda data procured in the process. (Nearby Venus, the planet related to worth and assets, hints that there will be much of value here.)

As the weekend commenced, all the world watched the royal wedding in London between Prince William, likely a future king, and the regal commoner, Kate Middleton. Though I wouldn’t have pegged the date as particularly auspicious astrologically on its own, it turns out to be quite good for their charts, fortunately. When combining their individual birth charts into a blended chart (called a composite), we find that Venus, the love planet, was visiting exactly at their Sun degree, the key indicator for them as a couple. At the moment they were declared “husband and wife” (11:20 AM), the Mercury-Venus combination (literally meaning “words of love and marriage”) straddled the exact top of the chart, the point indicating status, thus their status changed with the pronouncement. In the wedding chart’s top sector, related to public standing and reputation, was the Mars-Jupiter-Eris trio, representing the enormity (Jupiter) of the event, which represented a new era (Mars) for British royalty welcoming a strong non-royal woman (Eris) into their ranks. Kate, now titled the Duchess of Cambridge, really does embody the best side of Eris and in her chart, we see Eris at the eastern horizon, the area showing one’s persona and individuality.

Between these two important news events, the Mars-Jupiter-Eris conjunction turned out not to be so bad after all – well, except for al Qaeda.

The May 2011 episode of my astrology show, Looking Up, discusses these topics further. It should be available in the archive for viewing by May 13 or shortly thereafter.

Jupiter in Pisces

No Mercy for our Four-Legged Friends!?

Jupiter rules horses. Just think of Sagittarius (the sign ruled by Jupiter), which is half man and half horse. Both Jupiter and Sagittarius relate to optimism, generosity, expansion, law, foreigners and international conditions, higher principles, higher education, long distance travel, and all forms of long distance communication (including all forms of the media and the internet). Before the discovery of Neptune in the mid-1800s, Pisces was ruled by Jupiter. Thus there is an ancient link between the big gassy planet and the sign of the fishes. Jupiter spends about a year in each sign, usually bringing attention to the areas associated with that sign.

So, you’d think that Jupiter entering Pisces would bring good times for whatever Jupiter rules. Not so for America’s wild horses! The US government is conducting illegal and immoral wild horse stampedes, leading to slaughter and contributing toward their extinction. What a hideous reminder that Pisces is also a sign of suffering, the downtrodden, martyrdom and victimization as well as secrets and deception. Though this horrendous practice has been going on for years, it’s been getting a little more mainstream press recently since Jupiter’s entry into Pisces.

Here is what I said in my 2010 Janet’s Plan-its Celestial Planner:

Jan. 17, 2010 Jupiter enters Pisces [until 6/5; again 9/9 - 1/22/11] Jupiter speeds through Pisces the first half of 2010, returning to this sign for the last third of the year. The time has come to act on our beliefs in big ways and to expand our spirituality. A sense of generosity prevails and we want to help our fellow inhabitants of planet earth. Creativity in the arts is likely to soar and perhaps there will be new developments in music. Many people may notice an increase in their psychic receptivity and feel a greater empathy for those in hardship. If we’re lucky, international relations will soften. On the other hand, there could be more deception between nations.

I had seen one story on tv news about illegal stampedes conducted from helicopters before my friend, Maureen VanDerStad, an astrologer and horsewoman from Connecticut, called me, distraught about the situation. She told me how at a recent round up, they literally ran the feet off a young foal – he was stampeded with the herd over volcanic lava beds and then had a 4-hour trailer ride to the temporary holding facility. Two of his hooves fell off during the trailer ride and at the facility he was unloaded and shot. Another horse died in the trailer and another died shortly after arrival. They are not allowing the public to witness any more of the round ups at the present location.

She can tell the story better than I can, so here is what she wrote me:

Horse and man have been intrinsically connected since the beginning. The wild horse has always been the symbol of freedom. America would not exist today if not for the help of the wild horses. We built our country on the backs of these horses. They moved our loads, carried soldiers into battle and bridged the gap of a vast country. The vastness still exists but suddenly there is no room for the wild horse.

At this time there is an unprecedented rush by the government to remove the wild horses from their rightful homes on the public lands that were mandated to them by Congress in 1971. In addition to rounding them up by use of cruel and illegal helicopter driven stampedes over frozen terrain and dangerous territory, they are also reducing the herd numbers by means of castration of stallions and birth control for mares. They are “managing” what remains of the heritage horse herds to the point that they are not genetically viable and will become extinct in a short amount of time.

The government is conducting secret round-ups of the free horses and bringing them to join the 34,000 other horses who have been captured over the past five years and now live in small pens in the Midwest in holding facilities at a cost of over $100,000 per day. All this is in violation of the Free Roaming Wild Horse and Burro Act of 1971. At present there are more wild horses in holding facilities in the Mid West than are free on the range. The government violates it own laws saying it is “for their own good.” The only gain that is evident is the gain for private business interests who develop the land that the government seizes from the wild horses and the public - at the tax payer’s expense to the tune of many millions of dollars. The government removes the horses from their own mandated land saying the land cannot support them and then gives double the amount of grazing rights to cattle ranchers, which is also in direct violation of the law enacted to protect them from this very thing.

The slaughter of horses is illegal in the US but even the “protected” horses cannot escape it. The government agency, the Bureau of Land Management (who is entrusted with protecting them) actively pursues buyers known as “kill buyers.” Horse meat is a very lucrative business and many numbers of wild horses captured are unaccounted for. On any given day in the west, semi trailer trucks loaded with horses cross borders into Mexico or Canada. The government creates new laws for itself to enable this to happen. Hundreds of previously closed slaughter plants are scrambling to reopen and legislature is on the table to bring horse slaughter back - against the will of the people. The vultures are circling for the newly captured horses. A very sad note is that present slaughter houses are equipped to deal with only cows and our iconic American mustangs suffer unspeakable horrors being “processed” through a system not suited for them.

Hundreds of thousands of acres of land mysteriously are missing from deeds as herd management areas are “reassigned.” Public lands are being taken and silently sold off to private interests.

Wild horse herds live in an incredibly beautiful family/band structure. Their social order is highly developed and the bonds they share are magnetic. The suffering of the tearing apart of family units is enormous. They call agonizingly to each other at their separation and many succumb just from the stress of separation.

I cannot help but think of Gregg Bradden’s theory of fractal time and the patterns of history repeating itself and presenting us with the opportunity to make a better choice and ultimately saving ourselves from destruction. In the many complex layers of this situation lie all the atrocities of man in human existence happening again in one giant tableau played out with our lifelong partner, the horse. With the wild horses as our partners in building America, how poignant that at this critical juncture in our history, they are showing us all the things that are really wrong in the present state of our country.

For more information, visit American Herd Blog They have a great chronology of occurrences, as well as dates of law violations. If you wish to join the letter writing campaign or for more details, please see The Cloud Foundation for talking points and details, or visit Wild Horse Preservation Campaign for further information or to sign a petition.

So if you’re a Jupiterian, Piscean, Sagittarian or even an Aquarian protesting, freedom-loving type, speak up on behalf of innocent creatures who have no voice. If you are in the district of one of the members of the Congressional Subcommittee that oversees the Bureau of Land Management (see below), please contact him or her directly. Otherwise, contact the Subcommittee Chairman, Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona:
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=58

Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
1333 Longworth House Office Building
(202) 226-7736 Fax: (202) 226-2301
Raúl M. Grijalva, Arizona, Chairman

Members:
Rob Bishop, Utah, Ranking Republican Member
Dale E. Kildee, Michigan
Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii
Grace F. Napolitano, California
Rush D. Holt, New Jersey
Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Guam
Dan Boren, Oklahoma
Martin Heinrich, New Mexico
Peter A. DeFazio, Oregon
Maurice D. Hinchey, New York
Donna M. Christensen, Virgin Islands
Diana DeGette, Colorado
Ron Kind, Wisconsin
Lois Capps, California
Jay Inslee, Washington
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, South Dakota
John P. Sarbanes, Maryland
Carol Shea-Porter, New Hampshire
Niki Tsongas, Massachusetts
Pedro R. Pierluisi, Puerto Rico
Nick J. Rahall, II, West Virginia (ex officio)
Don Young, Alaska
Elton Gallegly, California
John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee
Jeff Flake, Arizona
Henry E. Brown, Jr., South Carolina
Louie Gohmert, Texas
Bill Shuster, Pennsylvania
Robert J. Wittman, Virginia
Paul C. Broun, Georgia
Mike Coffman, Colorado
Cynthia M. Lummis, Wyoming
Tom McClintock, California
Doc Hastings, Washington (ex officio)

(Isn't it something that the major states where the horse travesty is being perpetrated - Nevada and Montana - are not even represented in this Subcommittee!)