Benazir Bhutto dies 12.27.07 at 6:16 pm

With Bhutto's birth time unknown, I decided to post her sad death chart with natal placements (in blue) around the outside.

Click to enlarge the image, for as usual I've smooshed "too many notes" upon it but I tried to hold back so it would be somewhat readable.

The time has been given as 6:16 pm as her moment of expiration after being shot and blown up after speaking at a large rally where she was undoubtedly strong with persuasion--and worrisome to her enemies and to those who like to mess up US efforts no matter what violence it takes.

Moon is chart-ruler and the feature that pops out is Moon conj her natal Pluto, planet (yes, planet) of death, transformation, and power, natally placed at 21 Leo21.

Moon to Pluto: reckless determination to fulfill desires; zeal; upheavals; turmoil; emotional devastation (Tyl.)

Before I go on, let me say that my heartfelt condolences go out to the Pakistani people for their loss.

Moon is separating from opposition with Neptune in AQ (the masses--she was leaving a large rally) and applies to a square with Scorpionic Venus and a trine with Pluto (a certain meeting scheduled for later in the evening?)

South Node (SN--a separative point) 29Leo02 is at critical/crisis degree and is midway between Moon (and thus her natal Pluto) and tr Saturn. Moon/Saturn is a signifier of control, restriction, and oppression of the people (Moon), and Saturn/Pluto = cruelty, hard work, and loss.

As you remember, the attacks of 9/11 occurred while Saturn and Pluto were in opposition. All of this is happening with a 9/11, 'war on terror' backdrop, of course, with missing US billions now lining someone's pockets, although Pakistani officials are understanably denying it. See Pakistan Link for news, if you like.

Incendiary Mars Rx 1Can33 is now between Bhutto's natal Sun/Mars conj so her assassination has happened during her Mars Return, a triple one due to Mars' retrogradation. If her natal Sun is at 29Gem (another crisis degree), then contentious activist Mars is headed back that way in early January, and again reaches today's degree on appr March 9, 2008.

This sensitive degree in early Cancer triggers 9/11's Mars and the Solar Eclipse prior to 9/11/01. On Nov 3, Mars was at 11Can26 (when Musharraf declared emergency rule--a euphemism for martial law or police state, suspended the Supreme Court, and imprisoned thousands who don't agree with him, etc) and the god of war will return to 11Can33 during the first couple of days of April, 2008. This will continue the same issues for Pakistan and despotic Musharraf.

The pile-up now opposite Mars--Pluto in late Sag, Jupiter, and Sun--are conjunct asteroids Hopi (ambush; prejudice ), Bacchus (denial), and Morya (death.) This is a grouping I have fretted about before in a recent post--the one on Winter Solstice 2007. It was ugly then, and it's produced ugly, rotten, tragic fruit today.

Benazir Bhutto's book will be coming out in spite of her untimely death, says NPR but with her hopes for Pakistan interrupted, her dreams for moderation dissolved, and her people in chaos and grief.


~:~Update May 18, 2009 11:06 pm edt: want to add that transiting Mercury (writers; books; young people; speeches, one of which she gave just before her death) is at 11Cap and opposes her natal midpoint of Mars and Uranus, the explosive, radical pair.

This indicates on one level the nature of the speech she so recently gave at the rally and other recent remarks and statements, too, if applicable to the tinderbox politics of the region or to feathers she may have ruffled elsewhere. The pictures relate to Capricornian matters such as law, business, politics; plus, management, control, and/or mining.

Banking may be involved as well for Capricorn energies tend to appreciate a fat paycheck (particularly when it's paid for one's efforts), and we mustn't rule out the mystical realm of Capricorn's ancient mer-goat symbol. Even the nasty old Goat of Mendes could have had a hoof in the heinous, overbearing take-r-out plot.

So for this momentous event we then have possibilities - *any, all, or none may apply, and they may describe Bhutto's actions and/or feelings, and perhaps those of someone else...probably a combination of each with Mercury signifying on one level the additional environmental factor of the moment (including the vehicle Benazir Bhutto rode in):

Natal Mars/Uranus = tr Mercury: planning independent action; strategy; nervousness; drawing heavily upon one's nervous energy reserves; a test of strength or power calculatingly carried through; an invention or an achievement thought out well or in great detail; injury; operation. ~


>Original post begins here:

Meanwhile, the plutocratic, racist, oppressive Pluto-Chiron midpoint is on the Descendant (of Other People/Partnerships/Legal Affairs/Open Enemies) at 6:16 pm so if she was partnering with the corporate types, where were they when she needed them? Or perhaps it hasn't been a trusty partnership, as it turns out.

A "grim" Bush was quick to tout his brand of democracy as soon as he could get a mike in front of his gob. He said that those who committed this crime must be brought to justice. Since that guy is dead, old Bush must've meant those who sponsored this crime, aka assassination, aka terroism. (If they're hanging out with bin Laden, we know that Bush and Musharraf won't be finding them.)

Asteroid, Icarus, associated with assassination, is conj the New World Order degree of "18Cap." Mmm, no comment. Venus is in the secretive sign of Scorpio at the "A Military Band on the March" degree, and with the chaos created today, it is marching for sure as Pakistan's military arm shows its strength in a way opposite to what the common man and woman might prefer.

The negative/shadow side of this degree is: foolhardy self-exploitation. But who are the fools? There seem to be so many of them on all sides...who can keep them sorted?

'They say' that Musharraf didn't take Bhutto's safety seriously (I'm being generous here) and emergency rule is surely on one of the cards he holds in his graspy claw, with perhaps the promised January "elections" being cancelled as well. Hey--Putin's staying in, so Pervez wants to stay in power, too.

Well, there's much more to say about this melancholy chart (with sacrificial Neptune in the 8th house of death) which well-describes the Pakistani people's miserable loss, so perhaps I'll be updating this post later on as more is known.

Curfew and disruption (Uranus conj Achernar: risk of rapid endings) is undoubtedly on the way, and at the moment I'm just very very sad for Pakistan, for Benazir Bhutto and family - and for the whole discordant world.


* midpoint pictures from: Tyl; Ebertin.

Ron Paul on Freedom, Sherry Wolf on Paul

Dueling articles? Two articles from Information Clearing House:


What Does Freedom Really Mean?

By Ron Paul

Few Americans understand that all government action is inherently coercive. If nothing else, government action requires taxes. If taxes were freely paid, they wouldn't be called taxes, they'd be called donations. If we intend to use the word freedom in an honest way, we should have the simple integrity to give it real meaning: Freedom is living without government coercion. So when a politician talks about freedom for this group or that, ask yourself whether he is advocating more government action or less.

What Does Freedom Really Mean?


The Freedom To Starve: Why the Left Should Reject Ron Paul

By Sherry Wolf

"POLITICS, LIKE nature, abhors a vacuum," goes the revamped aphorism. Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's surprising stature among a small but vocal layer of antiwar activists and leftist bloggers appears to bear this out.

Why the Left Should Reject Ron Paul


"The executive has no right, in any case, to decide the question, whether there is or is not cause for declaring war."

"Where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. No man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions." James Madison 1751-1836 American Statesman, 4th President of the US


"It belongs to human nature to hate those you have injured." Tacitus


"Characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner." Aristophanes 456-386 BC, Greek Dramatist

"A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying...that he is wiser today than yesterday." Jonathan Swift 1667-1745 Irish Cleric, Essayest, Author, Satirist


"Virtue has a veil, vice a mask." Victor Hugo


Ah, yes...the Solar Eclipse at the Unmasking degree cometh...Feb 7, 2008 at "18AQ": "A man unmasked" in the 10 North Series, opposite the degree of Venus on 9/11/01. Perhaps we'll find out who Venus represented on that grim day.

10N: strong emphasis on communications (campaign rhetoric?), and frustrating or inhibiting events occur concerning news, paperwork, or a young person; time to take things easy due to drained feelings of tiredness; best to work through difficulties one at a time (Brady's Predictive Astrology.)

my year of blogging dangerously

Blogging in 2007 has brought everything from electronic tagging to frisky hackers to a few of my favorite posts. Not favorites because of my writing or lack thereof, but because of the subjects themselves blended with Astrology's ability to look under the hood.

In no particular order, here's my Top Seven List ranging from Political Astrology to a snarlyrhyme about a certain politician whose deeds bring cries for Impeachment upon his bald pate:

Spotlight on Mercury: John Edwards (has link to Spotlight on Mercury: Barack Obama--hope to add candidates to this Mercury series in the next week or so, schedule willing.)

Sept 11 2007 Solar Eclipse chart with details--special for its date and Sun's degree from 9/11.

Eugene Debs still speaks convincingly (Debs' life and times remind me of the old film on TV yesterday, Meet John Doe (1941) where Gary Cooper's character begins as the pawn of the Hearst-esque robber baron media and ends by giving them what-for. Yay. Now where's my 2007 John Doe Club?)

America's Winter Solstice 2007 (this post-with-chart is good until Dec 2008--a year's shelf life--and has the Winter Solstice 2006 chart along with a link to Dec 11's Great Conjunction of Jupiter conjunct Pluto post.)

America's 2007 Solar Return (details and comments with link to chart's image published on one of my Gather Pages.)

Using the Moon in Electional Astrology (published at Jude's Threshold--not about political elections but about choosing propitious times to begin things.)


And then-n-n? a few snarlyrhymes were written this year and my fave might have to be Ode to Cheney for its impeachy flavor.


News, whatever that means: my favorite info sources in 2007--again in no particular order--continue to be:

NPR, The August Review, and Huffington Post, with fave political blog: George Washington's Blog for quite obvious reasons (contains much 9/11 info.)

So as 2007 closes up its tattered suitcase, my hope for 2008 is that people like Mike Gravel, with his refreshing honesty, will find themselves ruling the roost in Washington. I know...fat chance, as the pocket lining of Capitol Hill's fatcats continues apace, America's commerical and residential real estate goes to the highest foreign bidder, and the imperialist empire's military industrial complex bankrupts America down to her last penny.

Well, thanks for moseying down memory lane with me, Lone Reader, and wishing a Happy New Year to waylaid America and to the rest of the disappointed World


This blog written, as always, in honor of and hope for:

A speculative birth chart for Jesus: Apr 17, 6 BC

If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe me not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? John 3:12

Pictured here is the chart I use as the natal chart of Jesus of Nazareth, based on the date that Jupiter (royalty) arose as the Morning Star and was occulted by the Moon in Aries, sign of Israel and Palestine. Thanks to calendar changes being slightly off, we have "6 BC" instead of the year zero.

Since we know that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great (is he Jupiter in this chart being occulted by the Moon?), the year we call "6 BC" contained this rare occultation, "7 BC" is known to be when a Great Jupiter-Saturn conjunction occurred in Pisces--and since lambs are born in the Spring, not mid-winter--it's one reason I use this chart.

Moon and Jupiter conjoined at 12:08:22 pm in 9th house (Bethlehem) yet this Jupiter rising chart is the one I prefer with asteroid, Morya at MC (the Goal or Objective) and Morya having connection with death, and fate or destiny.

And as you see, there is a YOD pattern (Finger of God: special task or purpose; crisis) pointing to the rising Moon, Ascendant (Jesus Himself if we accept this chart as His birth chart), and by extension, pointing to Jupiter as well.

But can modern day midpoint pictures possibly apply to an event from such ancient days?

Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto were there although not within people's consciousness, of course. Accordingly, our modern perspectives are naturally different--and time should bring insight, don't you think?

Click to enlarge the chart for a few scribbled notes, but I'll type in the midpoint pictures for the YOD (including Jupiter which certainly seems to apply to the situation.) The combo of Neptune-Pluto = unseen forces; the supernatural; other realms:

Neptune-Pluto = Moon: supernatural experiences; strange states of soul experiences; anxiety about being appreciated (well-founded!);

Neptune-Pluto = ASC: surrounded by an air of mysticism (a halo?!); placed in a peculiar environment (what a major culture shock--from heaven to earth!);

Neptune-Pluto = Jupiter: religiousness; in love with life; "Thank God"; universal love; love of humanity (I'll say!); high degree of perception; a peace-loving disposition.

Mercury trine Pluto creates a Grand Trine of sorts with MC; Mercury-Pluto = powerful words that persuade; creating or demanding new perspectives...

Mercury-Pluto = MC: great perception of any situation; leadership (why King Herod was so worried--sucky, cruel leaders should be); coping ability; keen powers of judgment; foresight.

Sun and Moon were in Balsamic phase of the prophet--a phase of partings and endings. His death was a sad parting, and He brought an end to the Age of Aries as well. People born during the Balsamic phase of the Moon (prior to a New Moon) are future-oriented folk who often arrive when something or someone is ending.

Progressive, futuristic, and rebellious Uranus is in sacrificial Pisces, sign of the Mystic, and love-filled Venus is also in Pisces, sign of her exaltation (universal love.) Jesus certainly disrupted things but from motives of pure Love, the Foundation of the Universe.

The birth of Christ marked the beginning of the Age of Pisces, sign of the Fish and the secret sign of Christianity in Roman times (used today) as the Age of Aries, the Ram, symbol of Israel and Palestine, passed away--Old Testament times into the New Testament era. On one level, His birth, life, and crucifixion on Earth symbolize death of the ego so that Man can be liberated and born again in Spirit (if he so chooses.)

The Magi, Persian astronomers/astrologers (probably from Babylonia), shared the Aramaic language with the Jews and so they knew of the Prophecy of the Messiah and would have been well able to predict His birth in time to make the journey to the Land of Judah while following the Star of Bethlehem.

The Star of Bethlehem has been thought to be the triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn during the year 7 BC: in May, September, and October. This occurred in Pisces, and it is my belief that the Magi realized the significance of this Great Conjunction in Pisces--a King of Kings to be born in the East--and made their preparations for the journey to find the Babe...and to honor Him with gifts of gold (for a king), frankincense (for divinity), and myrrh (for death and healing.)

I write this post with the wonderful aroma of frankincense surrounding me. Try it if you haven't--it's lovely.

The unusual occurrence of Jupiter as Morning Star in Aries being occulted by the Moon--in April (Spring, when lambs are born, not Dec 25, a date chosen by the Catholic Church in Rome to coincide with the pagan Saturnalia festival and thus bringing goddess worhip into the fold bwo the church's elevation of Mary) is possibly the Star followed by the Magi.

My own thought is that the Great Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction/s may have been the Star itself, with the Moon-Jupiter-Morning Star phenomena as a timing device for the birth of the Prince of Peace.

Jupiter and Saturn Principles and Faith:

Jupiter represents the generous side of God (His staff), while Saturn represents God's disciplinarian side (His rod.) On one level, we may relate "Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me..." directly to the natural law of Jupiter (expansion) and Saturn (restriction) being the fly-wheel of the universe--the tension between them keeping the planets in their courses. Yin-yang, positive-negative...a constant comfort to me and I hope to you as well!

It's been a treat to give earthly halls of power--politics--the slip as I contemplate the heavenly things of true value. If you came to Stars Over Washington today expecting politics as usual, I assert that Stars are all around us, and the Star of Bethlehem, still shining brightly, may lead us yet to the golden stardust within each of us, and to greater truths than those generally found lurking about in the halls of our nation's capital--Saturnian Capitol Hill.