The Sun and Jupiter moving into Scorpio should prove to be very helpful with our 8th house struggles and our 8th house explorations of life, or at least help us address them clearly. That, or they will blow them up to huge proportions and we'll get to address them anyway.

This moment is the perfect time for discussion over the "national security" secrets of the United States and the UK in the form of learning what really happened on the way to the Iraq war -- a war that epitomizes the most horrid aspects of the 8th house in the forms of death, money, secrets and power.

As of press time Thursday morning, the world is waiting for the official announcement of whether several top officials of the Bush administration -- political mastermind Karl Rove, Vice President Dick Cheney, and Cheney's chief of staff, Irve Lewis "Scooter" Libby -- will be accused of committing crimes in the outing of an undercover CIA agent named Valerie Plame Wilson. Exposing Plame Wilson was in retaliation for her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, revealing that contrary to George Bush's claims, Iraq was not really developing a nuclear weapons arsenal.

To put it in plain language, we now know that lies were told by the White House to get the US and the UK into the war, and when someone tried to expose those lies, the punishment that his wife's identity as a CIA agent was exposed. It's not ironic that her rather dangerous job was actually working against terrorists getting WMDs.

If any of these men are accused of crimes, it will be some of the most groundbreaking political news since this same team came to power five years ago one very strange night in November 2000. There will be many unprecedented developments to follow. These developments have been foreshadowed in the astrological charts for years and have been a major theme of the discussion of the Astrology Secrets Revealed column.

In this section, I would like to look at the horoscope for the Presidential Inauguration earlier this year, focusing on progressions of that chart. We'll also take a look at the chart of Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, the Frodo Baggins of our day.

Not enough is written about progressions and they are barely understood by many. And they are much easier to use than people give them credit for. The hard part is wrapping your mind around how they work.

Let's assume that a progressed chart is just another chart, and that the important thing is that we cast it correctly, and look at it with both eyes open. The way you get a progressed chart is you start with a reference chart of some kind: an event, a birth, whatever you need to chart. In our situation, we're looking at the Inauguration of George Bush as president for his second term, on Jan. 20, 2005 at 12 noon in Washington, DC. The time of the inauguration is set in advance by federal law. Before airplanes, it was in March after the prior November election; now that Congress does not travel by wagon, it is in January. But the important thing is that you can cast these charts years in advance.

Here is the Inauguration Chart:

These planets are placed in the 8th house: described above as dealing with secrets, life and death issues, money, and the brokering of power. They basically represent the hidden issues that the administration faces, the things we don't normally hear about in the news. They could represent powerful people, including bankers, investigators, prosecutors and so on; they represent facts; they could be documents and evidence; probably all of the above. Whatever they may be, they are not particularly friendly. When I called this chart "the Inauguration chart from hell," this is what I had in mind.

Next, find the Moon, which is always one of the first things to check in any chart. It is in Gemini, opposite Mars and Pluto -- that is, almost directly across the dial. It is dark yellow. It is shaped like the Moon. You cannot miss it, unless you've never seen or heard of the Moon (which you have). In the kind of astrology we are doing, the Moon represents nearly everything; that is, it has multiple significations, but one of them is timing. And here is how we work with it as a timing device. Follow along -- it will be worth it.

Note the Moon has a number next to it -- 9 degrees. Note Mars also has a number. That is 18 degrees. The difference is 9 degrees. The Moon's number is lower. It is moving in the direction of Mars -- called "applying" to an opposition. When we begin working with progressions, the thing to remember is that the Moon's progressed speed is one degree of chart motion per month of calendar time.

How do you get that figure? It's easy -- progressions are a scale model of time. The model we are using is the "day per year" model. When you reduce time to a 1:365 scale, or "a day per year," it turns out that the Moon moves one degree every month. So we know that the Moon will reach an exact opposition to Mars in about 9 months. To be precise, the date that the progressed Moon makes an exact opposition to Mars is Oct. 30, 2005. For this reason, I've been writing about October 2005 since the summer of 2004.

It turns out that the grand jury investigating the wrongdoings of the Bush administration expires Friday, Oct. 28. This is just a 48-hour window on a powerful and exact progressed event.

In a number of articles going back to the summer of 2004, I have described this as wakeup time. Moon opposite Mars certainly has the feeling of a turning point, and if that is not enough, the Moon keeps on going, and in about five months -- at the end of March 2006 -- it opposes Pluto, another major turning point in this process.

Here is what the progressed Inauguration chart looks like for Oct. 30, 2005. It is linked here and will open in a separate window.

Note that the wheel has turned; there is a new ascendant; and the Moon-Mars opposition is exact to the arc minute. Ceres, which represents the grief of mothers, is appropriately the highest planet

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this chart is that Mercury is rising -- exactly, to the degree -- just like in the chart for Sept. 11, 2001. Mercury rising says "big news." Mercury rising in Capricorn says "big news about government."

Will this come to pass? We shall know soon enough.

Meanwhile, if you're curious about the Inauguration charts you can see many more of them, in different versions, at this link.

Let's take a look at the chart for Patrick Fitzgerald, the United States Attorney for Chicago, who has the job of running the investigation, and if there are indictments, of prosecuting the accused. We don't have a birth time on Fitzgerald, but we do have a sunrise chart and that's a very good start.

First and foremost, we have an Aries Point chart. I say this because Fitzgerald's Sun is at 00 degrees of Capricorn. Anything in very early Aries, Cancer, Libra or Capricorn falls under the Aries Point phenomenon, covered extensively in the prior edition of Astrology Secrets Revealed. Fitzgerald's Sun at 00 Capricorn has been picking up all the activity going back to that mysterious solar eclipse of June 2001, the one right before Sept. 11, 2001, that seemed to get things going so...um...effectively.

This is a message that he is likely to have a wide and long-lasting impact on our society.

Next, note the concentration of planets in Capricorn and Aquarius, which you could describe as "transpersonal" signs -- those dealing with the community, government, official responsibility and the structure and order of society.

For everyone who writes in asking about how they're ever going to get anything done with empty houses in their chart, remember Patrick. He gets a lot done. He understands commitment. He knows how to concentrate his energies. He is obsessed.

We see the obsession in at least two aspects: Pluto in Virgo on the North Node, symbolizing his obsession with service (Pluto = obsessed; Virgo = service; North Node = compelling and unavoidable); and Mars opposite Jupiter (a kind of religious quest for justice).

Note also a meaningful transit: his natal Mercury is at 22+ degrees of Sagittarius -- and Pluto is right there, right now, making a long transit to this degree. According to this aspect, there was no way he was not going to get to the bottom of the spy outing issue, and many other issues along with it. Pluto + Mercury is intense. It stops at nothing; it can walk through walls and take apart testimony forward and backward, a skill Fitzgerald apparently has had for quite a while. He is currently also prosecuting the former governor of Illinois for crimes he allegedly committed while in office, and is closing in on the mayor of Chicago.

The service theme which is picked up in the numerous Aquarius placements he gets to work with: in particular, Venus in Aquarius conjunct Vesta. Vesta, like Aquarius, has very strong leanings toward serving others.

Also in Aquarius is a triple conjunction of Moon, Chiron and Ceres. We are on the same page here. Even though this is a sunrise chart and the time may be off by some hours, I can assure you Fitzgerald has the Moon in Aquarius. And with that conjunction to Chiron, he clearly understands the pain that people, groups of people, and in particular women (Moon and Ceres), go through.

On a side note, Ceres comes up as prominent rather frequently in charts of the Bush administration (including the progressed Inauguration chart, please see above), going right back to the chart for the first inauguration -- wherein Ceres was conjunct Chiron exactly.

There is much to this chart and I am sure we'll be living with it for a while. Anyone who has the birth time, I would greatly appreciate if you would send it in, along with the source.

Charts and additional research by Tracy Delaney.
Charts in this section cast in Solar Fire 5

Dear Laura,
I think this is a plausible question to put to astrology. Before casting your chart, I can tell you what I'm going to be looking for: first, something suggesting the magnitude of the change; some kind of once in a lifetime transit; and second, something regarding the theme, which points to the quality of the change you are describing.

Now, looking at your chart: I think you're right on track. Using a fairly basic approach, both the magnitude and the specific themes come out beautifully.

Here is your chart:

That pretty much says "writer." You're going to have some kind of career in communications with that aspect, and even if you were to have become a veterinarian, would be writing articles for your colleagues and speaking advanced cocker spaniel.

When someone has a strong 10th house, it's very difficult to ignore the calling, and one is fortunate to have it. Yours is strengthened by the fact that Mercury, which rules your 10th house (Gemini is on the cusp) is located right in the 11th house, where you get to give a gift to society. The 11th is a place we pick up substantial benefits -- but it's also where society benefits from its experience of us. And with Mercury in Cancer, I see the potential for something a lot more than just ideas.

Now, with that in mind, let's look at the transit that's been influencing you for about five years, and which just recently came to a conclusion. That is Pluto in Sagittarius opposite your Moon and Sun in Gemini.

Pluto transits are among the ones that completely rearrange our lives, our sense of identity, our sense of mission and the depth at which we live. In general, our religious and psychological models in Western civilization don't have an equivalent for Pluto except in the worst sense, such as a hurricane hitting your house. But as for those deep, inevitable personal reinventions, the things that shape our lives in ways that may involve a struggle and are also well worth all the effort, that would be Pluto.

Pluto opposing your Sun and Moon between around 2001 and today is what we could reasonably call a kind of ultimate transformation. And where is Pluto coming from? Sagittarius, one of the most mystical signs of all. The source is also the 4th house -- deep within, from the core of your being.

One way to look at this is not as change from "writer to mystic" but more as a reorientation from the outer world to the inner one. I don't think you're going to be leaving your writing skills out of the work you do in the future. One of the most valuable, dearly needed talents in this world is that of the ability to relate spiritual ideas, or personal growth processes, in clear language to others. So I suggest you leave the either/or contradiction out of the equation. A lot of how we go through changes involves how we state the equation to ourselves.

Honestly, I doubt there will ever be a time in your life, no matter what you're doing, where you will not want and need to share your experiences with others in language. But whether you call that your primary vocation is another story. However, I don't suggest you worry about it.

The fact that you have rather natural spiritual leanings is indicated in the chart by a cluster of planets on the cusp between the 8th and 9th houses. It's on the top right side of the chart; the planets in order are Ceres (the purple question mark), Vesta (the red chevron) and Venus (blue planet, "female" symbol). These are strong and clear influences in the 9th house (spirituality, the higher self) but they carry the influence of the 8th (taboo subjects including sex, death, money and power).

I see your role as a teacher as being an interpreter between the rather stressed out world where every relationship is a power relationship; and what you might call the new world, where each person is responsible for relating to his or her own higher power. This is all done goddess-style: the three planets there all represent goddess energies. For a concise explanation of Vesta and Ceries, please see this link.

As part of this process, there is something about working with mothers, with people who do other kinds of service work, and in a sense, helping those whose primary role is to help others.

There is one last significant transit that will be an influence in your life and represents more of the "going within" theme that is so important to you now. This will be Saturn reaching your 12th house cusp in Leo in a little less than a year. Saturn through the 12th house is one of the most powerfully internal transits that we go through. While there is much that we cannot say during this transit, and while we may have the feeling that nobody understands exactly what process we're in, it's important -- very important -- to have community around you. And you have time to create that, and to get established on your path.

Dear Claire
The last time we had a grand fixed cross on this scale was in the summer of 1999, for the grand cross-total solar eclipse of August 11. This was a monumental turning point in that it ushered in an era in history that to most was unforeseen; the very next year we experienced the stolen election -- and so on and so on and so on.

For many, this was a time of profound personal change, development, and acceleration of growth. Working as an astrologer at the time, I felt like a ferryman guiding people one by one across the enormous divide between the past and the future; I have never had so many clients show up so fast with such intensity in their lives. It was quite a summer. My chronicle of it is posted here.

But one thing I noticed was that two clients who already had a fixed grand cross were basically cool, calm and collected. I recognize that two people are not a statistical study, but it certainly made an impression on me. It seemed as if they were already quite accustomed to that fixed + grand cross energy, and basically took the changes in stride. Now, I do not have follow-up interviews; who knows, maybe they are reading. But I can tell you that they were the two most calm and clear-headed discussions of that summer.

Before we get to your chart, I'd like to offer a few quotations from Alice A. Bailey's book Esoteric Astrology on the subject of the Fixed Cross. Whenever you get into a discussion of one of the three crosses -- cardinal, fixed or mutable -- Esoteric Astrology is the place to go; this is one of the specialties covered by this book.

Basically, the idea I get from looking over her comments is that the fixed cross is the process where the density of personality is lightened into the awareness of the soul.

Much of one's experience of the cross depends on one's stage of growth. But many of us are having the kind of experience where, paraphrasing the Course in Miracles a bit, what matters, matters and what does not does not. But this whole process is intuitive rather than literal; it's a way of transposing experience such as events or experiences that may have produced a dense, difficult reaction in the past now are approached from a more loving, more aware and less polarized frame of mind.

"Substance, the ocean of life, water, the symbol of desire and the impulse to incarnate are transmuted into soul light substance and the urge to tread consciously the path of return, plus the longing to serve," she says of this cross. Referring to the Taurus-Scorpio polarity, where much of this activity occurs, she says, "The personality is humbled and brought to grips with the soul."

Or, as my old teacher Alan Cohen has said, "The ego makes a great slave and a terrible master."

So, that's a little bit of esoteric wisdom on the Fixed Cross. As for your chart. Quite a journey along the razor's edge your live has been, yes?

I would feel a lot more confident discussing this chart after an hour of interviewing you -- but I can tell you that the Mars-Neptune opposition, squaring the Nodes, is really the essence of the picture. This opposition is a particular frame of mind that you need over and over again and, I sense, are working to slowly express on the highest possible level.

There is an extremely powerful desire nature suggested here, an even more powerful imagination, and the sense that you're going to have to keep dealing with yourself, over and over again, until you really have an understanding of who you are -- and can express yourself in the world clearly and without compulsion.

The transits that are coming up speak of many different processes; for example, Saturn is close to opposing its natal position. Neptune has just completed a square to its natal position. Mars is returning to its natal position. And there are many inter-relationships among these.

Honestly, Claire, this is not about "weathering" anything; this is about going to a whole new level of life. Note that astrology can be used to make a kind of simplistic prediction about things being difficulty -- or it can be used to reach layers of meaning and understanding relating to the inevitable process of growth.

These transits are about coming to terms with yourself, a complete reorientation, and experiencing yourself an entirely new way. And they are about the discovery of something quite amazing in the form of Uranus going over your Chiron-Jupiter during the next few months. This rather brilliant third house placement is likely to offer you ideas you had never even considered -- coming right from you.

I am talking about something new, that you may not have ever considered; this is opposed to the information that you possess, live by, and hold dear which you may be called upon to go beyond and see differently. When you get the hang of it, I don't think you'll mind.

Dear Planning:
Your question is actually one of many of its kind. I would say we get about one request a month or so inquiring about the best birth time to birth a c-section child.

It sounds like you're in a situation where you may actually need the procedure, but if you have a discussion with a midwife or two, you may learn that there are non-invasive ways to turn a baby and thus spare everyone the experience of surgery -- and to have the experience of a natural birth. Generally, in this world, natural is better.

Without getting too deep into the discussion, there is in fact a question about whether many c-sections are necessary. And the only way to find out is to do some research and speak to people who have been involved in a lot of births. This includes a second medical opinion and the opinions of midwives, who I consider to be among the most helpful health professionals in the world. However, you don't have a lot of time to decide, so for you, the procedure may be the best way to go.

Regarding the astrological aspect of the question, I think it's possible to do the work and make the calculations and to elect a good time to do the birth. These considerations can be based on both the best time for surgery, as well as the best time for a birth itself. So there are really two major factors involved. And the chances are that an alternate time will need to be selected, in order to work with the hospital for times available.

As astrological readings go, it's a job that takes work, including astrological calculations and interviews with both parents. It's not the kind of thing I would want to evaluate in a Q & A column. And it's something that I would only entrust to a very experienced astrologer.

Pending a discussion with one of the parents, I would consider taking such a project. If you or anyone is interested, please contact my office via my web page.

Additional research by Arwynne O'Neill.
Charts in this section cast in Time Cycles Research

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