Public and Mindbody Health
As 1998 begins health issues are the top stories across the nation. President
Clinton announced Medicare reforms will make cancer screenings less expensive
for 39 million Americans. The Bird Flu is coming, as is more money for meat
inspection.
Now, with Saturn moving forward in the U.S. sixth house of health, tobacco
lobbyists are preparing to make a blanket deal with Congress. The alternative
is to watch $1.50/pack taxes added on, and losing $mega-million lawsuits state
after state like a row of dominoes.
Meanwhile, as Americans prepare to make their 1998 resolutions, Chiron, the
planet bringing mindbody awareness, is an active celestial force in the U.S.
horoscope. Throughout 1998 Chiron will be in America's first house and closely
connecting to the Midheaven (16 degrees Leo in the Scorpio Rising chart*).
Chiron is especially strong during the first month of January, indicating a
growing holistic health consciousness. Chiron squaring the U.S. Midheaven over
the next ten days should raise the profile of celebrity healers such as Andrew
Weil and Deepak Chopra.
Saturn passing through the sixth house has brought much trouble to mainstream
medicine. The latest embarrasment was the admission by the prestigious New
England Journal of Medicine that printed a conflict-of-interest book review.
The book in question was condemned for claiming that chemicals in the
environment are responsible for an epidemic of cancers, but the reviewer is
the medical director of W.R. Grace, a leading environmental polluter.
Signposts to the Millennium: #7
USA Progressed Sun Conjunct Moon
The progressed horoscope is one of the most important tools in the
astrologer's forecasting kit. Based on the formula that one day after birth is
equivalent to one year, the progressed chart reveals on a symbolic timescale
the key developmental areas during specific intervals, unfolding like
invisible fractals in our multi-dimensional, holistic universe.
In June 2000 the USA progressed Sun will be conjunct the Moon, an astrological
event important enough to rank as the mystical Seventh Signpost to the
Millennium. The Moon in political astrology represents the nation's people
because of its receptive nature, reflecting the will of the politicians and
reacting to the natural flow of events.
This progressed Sun delineates a pivotal year in our nation's evolutionary
journey, and covers a phase lasting between January 2000 and September 2000.
Coincidentally, this will be the most competitive interval of the next
Presidential election campaign. The progressed Sun defines a nation's
identity, and spotlights people and events with historical value.
Combinations of the progressed Sun and Moon in the past reveal spectacular
events critical in shaping the nation's destiny. The surprise attack on Pearl
Harbor in 1941, and the Soviet launching of Sputnik in 1956 (as progressed Sun
was sextile and octile the Moon, respectively) both galvanized the American
national mood. We can look forward to a similar shape-shifting event to unify
the American people with its political leaders in the year 2000.
Pierce Brosnan Returns as James Bond
In the seasonal glut of action movies, "Tomorrow Never Dies" weaves the
standard James Bond archetypes for a predictable box office winner. Pierce
Brosnan returns to play the master spy, as he tangles with an evil
megalomaniac, disrobes several beautiful women, and negotiates through
dangerous, exotic settings with the assistance of high-tech weaponry and
vehicles.
The evolution of the Bond character becomes a fascinating astrological study
showing remarkable consistencies and karmic connections. The strongest
zodiacal link is the abundance of Gemini placements, with both Sean Connery
(August 25, 1930) and Pierce Brosnan (May 16, 1953) demonstrating the quick-
witted, fast-paced Mars in Gemini. Ian Fleming (May 28, 1908) had his Sun in
Gemini, plus the super-spy aspect, a Mercury-Pluto conjunction in Gemini.
Roger Moore's (October 14, 1927) restless Gemini Moon makes travel and the
girl-in-every-port second nature.
The Bond women show up as Venus in the hero's chart. Again, strong parallels
between the various actors and author can be found, with Venus-Uranus aspects
the prevalent calling card. Sean Connery's Venus in Libra featured the
glamorous model with the idealized Barbie doll measurements. With his Venus
opposed to Uranus in Aries, his conquests were usually completed during high-
tech action scenes, a dramatic device perfected by Ian Fleming, who likewise
has the Venus-Uranus opposition.
Pierce Brosnan's Venus-Uranus is the flipside of Connery's. Brosnan's Venus is
in Aries, and in "Tomorrow Never Dies" his significant other is the beloved
Hong Kong action heroine, Michelle Yeoh. This Venus in Aries woman is a
skilled martial artist, that is until the last scene where she inexplicably
becomes a weakling so Bond can save her.