On the eve of Venus entering Aries (which occurred overnight at 1:01 am EST), Rick Santorum — perhaps the most rabidly anti-sex candidate campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination — won the the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses, as well as a nonbinding primary in Missouri. You can read earlier Planet Waves coverage of his views and natal chart to get a sense just how twisted up his beliefs on sex really are.
Part of what has become a hot campaign topic for Santorum and the other Republicans this week is a new Obama administration rule requiring health insurance plans, including those provided by Catholic-affiliated hospitals and universities, to offer free birth control methods. In fact, Republican campaigning became heavy against this health care provision this week, as though warming us up for Venus’ entrance into the revolutionary Uranus-Pluto square that has been heating up social movements for months (Venus is now conjunct Uranus).
As if we actually need more things to get riled up about regarding women’s health (although, maybe we do — since this stuff keeps happening, maybe it means we need to step up our efforts for the good of all). Not only do Republican politicians want to limit what women can do after they get pregnant, now they’re trying to limit women’s ability to prevent pregnancy.
Talk about trying to hog-tie women. Luckily, not all Catholic parishioners take the stance on birth control that the bishops of their churches take. In fact, according to Jon O’Brien, President of Catholics for Choice, a non-profit organization that represents the voice of Catholics on reproductive and sexual health, as many as 98% of Catholics in the U.S. use some form of birth control. If these same Catholics vote their reality rather than their church’s dogma, they could perhaps have some weight with their elected officials.
Democracy Now! today interviews O’Brien, along with Michael Brendan Dougherty, politics editor at Business Insider and contributing editor at the American Conservative, and Loretta Ross, the National Coordinator of the SisterSong Reproductive Justice Collective and long-time human rights activist. Unfortunately at the time of this posting, the rush transcript for this segment was not available to be able to quote. But you can watch the interviews here. Pay close attention to when Dougherty compares compelling Catholic bishops and administrators to offer birth control coverage in health insurance plans to requiring Jewish Rabbis to buy pork for people for health reasons.
Truly outrageous — but then, so is the field of Republican presidential candidates. And just look at how many people are voting for them. Santorum’s surge is unnerving in the extreme. We’ll see what kind of strong, revolutionary, humane surprises women come up with now that Venus is working with Uranus on the Aries Point. If the Republicans and ultra-conservative Christian factions manage to reach any further into the personal space of our bedrooms, we’ll be able to taste what kind of soap they use to wash their hands of all this ‘dirty’, ‘immoral’ sex.
Thanks, Sarah, for the book recommendations. I know (have read twice) Perera’s Descent to the Goddess. Will look for Hillel’s book.
Right now, Eric’s written work (on Eris and other “celestial beings”) is aiding me. And, especially, my sun and rising sign horoscopes in 2012 Annual Edition. Am feeling fueled and ready to face the below-ground action.
granma – I’m happy that what I’ve written rings true for you too. I’m currently reading the second of two books on the subject – by Jungian analysts – which I would highly recommend:
— “The Redemption of the Feminine Erotic Soul” by Dr Rachel Hillel
— “Descent to the Goddess: A Way of Initiation for Women” by Sylvia Brinton Perera
Both links here:
— http://www.amazon.com/Redemption-Feminine-Erotic-Hudson-Books/dp/0892540389/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328873711&sr=1-1
— http://www.amazon.com/Descent-Goddess-Way-Initiation-Women/dp/0919123058
Dear Sarah – your vivid, succinct word images have come just at the right time for me. My imagination is filling in the colors, shadings, and textures. I’m “descending”, once again, and your images help me see the ‘players’ in my personal tableau.
Another move from the patriarchal, institutionalised masculine (as opposed to “men”) to limit and control the seemingly chaotic, fertile feminine. This is shadow Hierophant acting to drive The Empress underground for good. Which is why it is a central journey for the feminine, often embodied in the female journey of individuation, to descend into that underworld to reclaim what is being held there.
It is the point where the individual intersects with the collective. What we choose to do for ourselves ripples out and affects everyone and everything else.
“So, what we possibly have is a delusional hand-puppet who is enjoying where the hand is. The question is, whose hand?”
Okay. That made me snort at the computer screen.
The voters? Have to ask how many of them cannot think of any possibility other than ‘Pub to vote, and it makes no difference what the ‘Pubs put out there. Too many are the product of parental conditioning – their parents voted that way and by yiminy, the will too – no matter what shit is put before them.
Then there is, as Jude so often notes, the issue of race. And hate for anyone who doesn’t think exactly as they have been taught to do.
JannKinz
Amanda:
Thank you for this blog, a resourceful piece of reporting. As disquieting as it may be, let’s take a look under the “hood” of recent transits to Mr. Santorum’s natal chart. Neptune is in his seventh house. Neptune’s ingress to Pisces makes an in-sign water trine to the natal chart conjunction of the lunar north node (dharma) and Neptune in early Scorpio (and the third house, which, in Eric’s words, has a “Gemini quality”). In the words of Robert Hand, Neptune trine Neptune is “not entirely conscious” and Neptune in the seventh house is where “there is danger of poor communications.” In other words, he’s probably being used as a tool and there is an inherent instability under the surface. Transiting Venus is in his eighth natal house applying to conjoin his Venus-BML-Eris stellium, attracting money but confronting him with his sexuality (whatever that may be). The Full Moon opposed his natal Moon very closely, making it (once again, Robert Hand) “difficult to see any point of view but (his) own” So, what we possibly have is a delusional hand-puppet who is enjoying where the hand is. The question is, whose hand?
But Granma, why don’t you believe that lil Ricky has your best interests at heart? 😉
He is a piece of work, isn’t he? He really, truly needs some time with a psychiatrist or two, and a few sex therapists after that.
eeuw. santorium, git yer soapy fingers outa ma’ pie!