Even conservatives are now reporting the likelihood that the Democrats will win at least one seat in the house in November. The number of emerging scandals decimating the Republicans is staggering: First Bob Woodward’s book State of Denial reports what many have been saying for years: that the Bush White House flagrantly ignored reports from his generals on the ground and the intelligence community that the insurgency was growing and the US-led attempt to transform Iraq into a democracy was... Read more

From the Kuwaiti Times: Powerful clerics in Saudi Arabia have warned Arab media against publishing “forbidden” horoscopes, which are hugely popular despite a clerical ban. “This is astrology, which is forbidden and is considered as a form of magic,” a committee of senior Saudi clerics said in a statement published on state news agency SPA late on Saturday. “The committee reminds Muslims and journalists in particular that it is their obligation to take advice from God, His Prophet and the... Read more

This is part II of the Ceres Series, part I is here. Ceres is the Roman name for Demeter, the Goddess of the Grain. Demeter means “the mother” (de meter) and Ceres is said to be from the root ker meaning “to grow.” Although some researchers believe Ceres and Demeter were two separate goddesses, most historians equate the two. (There is an asteroid called Demeter but she is not commonly used in the astrological pantheon.) Some sources report that Ceres... Read more

I’d like to interrupt my Ceres series for a brief note on the presence of Eris in the activities surrounding the nuclear test yesterday. In looking at the chart for the test, Eris, goddess of strife and discord, is at 20 degrees Aries and Mars, god of war, is exactly opposite her at 20 degrees Libra. The missile test is widely regarded as a “provocative act,” intended to create drama and disrupt the power structure. This sounds very like the... Read more

Part I: A history of the use of Asteroids in Astrology Ceres was first discovered in 1801 and immediately classified as a planet. Shortly thereafter, several other bodies were discovered and classified as planets beginning with Pallas in 1802, Juno in 1804, Vesta in 1807, and later Astraea in 1845. When Neptune was discovered in 1846, it was much larger than the other bodies and was therefore retained as a planet and the others were demoted to the asteroid belt... Read more

Thanks to Astrococktail for this delicious tidbit: An article in the Sentinel in New Jersey reports that three council members have birthdays within a 5-day span, and proceeds to consult a reputable astrologer (founder and president of the Academy of Astrology in New Jersey): Mayor Francis “Mac” Womack and Councilmen Ralph Andrews, Bob Davis and Carlo Socio all have birthdays within five days of one another, but one area astrologer feels there’s no correlation between their birthdays and their rise... Read more

As the weather turns colder and we head into the season of Scorpio, we are pulled deeper within, deeper into the Mystery. There always seems to be a bit of discussion about what is the nature of the soul…. Some believe the soul to be eternal; others believe that time itself is impermanent. Eternity can have widely differing definitions depending on the peephole through which we are squinting. For some, eternity means paradise with their beloved; for others, eternity is... Read more

A chemical fire at a hazardous waste management plant in a North Carolina suburb very close to where I live erupted late Thursday night in the shadow of the Full Moon, evacuating thousands of people and creating a health emergency. The fire produced a chemical fume of chlorine gas that spread across the area but fortunately a steady rain all day yesterday helped to clear the air. As of this morning the fire is “essentially out” but may still contain... Read more

Ever since the tenth planet was discovered as UB313, nicknamed Xena and now officially named Eris, it’s been calling to me. I don’t know why Eris speaks to me and not the other recently discovered planets, Sedna and Quaoar, but it is very clear to me that Eris has something to say astrologically. I felt the same way about Chiron. I began studying astrology in 1980, and although Chiron was discovered in 1977 there was little astrological information available about... Read more

In light of the mess surrounding “Pagegate” and the potential fall of the Republican Party I thought Mr. Foley deserved his own post. Mark Foley (see chart) was born under the sign of Virgo, a sign famously known for its fastidiousness and desire for continual self-improvement. Unless there are other more fiery elements in the birthchart, Virgo dislikes the limelight and prefers to stay behind the scenes where they can be of service and deny the ego. Typically, though, they... Read more