"The natal chart is like a seed and progressions are the unfolding in time of that into the plant it is to become. Transits, are like a daily weather report. In political astrology, these three factors have to be taken into account!"
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NewsScope has been published continually since 1997. Links to NewsScope articles from September 2015 through December 2020 can be found in the Menu. Back copies dating from 2009 through 2015 are at
For NewsScope blogs dating from October 25, 1999 through March 31, 2009, visit StarIQ/NewsScope.
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Recent NewsScopes
Jan. 6, 2020 - Iranian general Qasam Suleimani; Pluto and Global Warming; the U.S. Pluto Return
Jan. 13, 2020 - Iran’s Horoscope Under Stress; The U.S. Pluto Return and the balance of power
Jan. 20, 2020 - Senate Impeachment Trial Officially Begins; The U.S. Pluto Return and Capitalism
Jan. 27, 2020 - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex break protocol; Top Five Astro-Events for February
Feb. 03, 2020- Impeachment Backlash makes Election Day Pivot Point; Lilith Enters China’s Third House
Feb. 10, 2020 - Voting Tallies Don’t Add Up; Pluto Opposite the U.S. Mercury and the power of persuasion
re: 20-year cycle - Thank you for your insightful NewsScope column. I am not aware of anything else quite like it. Regarding the 20-year American Presidential cycle, I noticed that George W. Bush, elected in 2000, did not die in office. However, during a critical astrological time period of this administration, when I expected the pattern to play out, former President Reagan passed away instead. Sort of a deferred prophecy. Keep up the good work!
re: Trump – You wrote "...the bottom line is that Trump’s days in office are coming to a close just before or, more likely, soon after this Solar Eclipse." This would make Trump's running mate President. Does Pence's chart reflect that? Or will another rabbit be pulled out of the hat? As always, thanks for sharing your passion and gift for interpretations.
re: crash - It has been a previlage to visit every Monday Morning early in the hours every week and has been nothing but an educational experience to read and read to digest what you write; I have to say at my old age your blog and your writings are GOD SENT and exceptionally great to read and learn from.
With that said, as every where now a days you read this coming Capricon stellium of outer planets that is going to happen in 2020 and it is going to crash financial markets and going into recession due to Saturn combining with Jupiter and so on; I realize that we are in the Biggest Bubble created by central banks around the world and it will burst some time. Will you please kindly write on this if and whenever you have to time to do it to see what is your take on economy and financial markets.
re: gender - Apart from whether or not the VP's inclinations extend beyond the normative male-female monogamy, are there astrological signals that may indicate different sexual or gender tendencies in any one particular chart? And with the prominence now of not only homosexuality but also all forms of gender non-conformity and fluidity, as well as transgender, coming to the fore, what are the broader astrological themes that show this cultural/generational change?
And does this tie into the #metoo movement, which calls down the male power privilege with respect to sexual exploitation?
re: astrology - It’s fascinating that astrology, something our present civilization views as fundamental to an individual’s character, is ignored by deeper analysis. Love your column. It’s my first thing to read on Mondays.
re: NewsScope - As always with many many many thanks for your kindness and keeping us interested in Astrology and writings.
re: Pluto Return - Thanks for all you write. Ever since you said Hillary would not be President (in spite of my most fervent wishes and all those polls saying she was ahead) I totally trust your political assessments. Your column on the Pluto return is sobering to be sure. But there is another strain of conservatism that might need to be recognized. That of the government institutions, and the press, which are still doing their jobs, for the most part. One thing for sure, the American Empire (not that I really love that term) is going into eclipse, if not by being outstripped by the likes of China, India, or Europe, but because we haven't gotten our own house in order, and have let our worst characteristics run amok.
re: Bitcoin - There seem to be multiple charts for "Bitcoin". Bitcoin has been around long enough now to see a pattern in its valuation: dramatic price drops of 70%, followed by dramatic price increases, followed by drops, etc. Is there a Bitcoin chart that fits this valuation pattern? Is Bitcoin set to become the first international non-state medium of exchange? Thanks for your interesting site.
A. I have written about bitcoin's chart in the distant past (see bitcoin), but it's certainly worth another look.
re: Trump - Your piece on Uranus transits to the US ascendant: It does point to radical change but not a great sign if you were the one currently in power, yes? And does Trump's chart ever show signs of incarceration? He'll likely skate any federal charges, but it seems NY jails are ready and open for his business...
re: Trump - Doesn't transiting North Node conjunct Trump's natal Sun in 2020 weigh heavily in favor of his re-election?
A. It certainly helps, as does transiting Saturn, Pluto, and Jupiter trine his MC. Note that by definition, the Lunar Nodes are aligned with the eclipsed planet. However, many other factors should be considered, especially how his opponent's chart looks. Basing any forecast or prediction on one indicator is a sure way to miss the boat. Favorable transits can be totally over-ruled by hard progressions, for example.
re: Trump - Anticipating Trump's visit to the UK, Theresa May's people were warned not to schedule meetings lasting longer than 30 minutes "because of problems with his concentration span.’. Officials were told that, when a meeting exceeds that time limit, Trump just just checks out and 'starts doodling’. There's also been a lot of speculation about his drug use--- Aderall in particular. In addition, hundreds of mental health professionals expressed their concerns, issuing an analysis and a warning to all of us. Plus, his increasingly bizarre behavior indicates major problems.
Would you please consider looking into Trump's mental health?
re: 2020 - I read with some real concern your probably correct analysis that the US 2020 election will be under very real stress from continued [Russian] sabotage. Unhappily, what you also need to consider is that Bernie Sanders’ “independent Democrat” candidacy and generous fund-raising may also be part of that sabotage plan. Sanders candidacy is a classic diversionary tactic to peel off and divide the more liberal voters away from the larger Democratic candidate. Whatever his own motives – and I am not questioning these by any means – his “further left” views make him an ideal candidate for generous funding from black sources and even covertly from the Republican party itself. The Repubs will never attack Sanders; just watch.
NewsScope for February 18, 2020
By Michael O’Reilly
The Democratic Presidential Field Narrows
Following the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, it’s become increasingly clear that the nominee for the Democrats this year will personify Uranus in Taurus. The most polite way to frame Uranus in Taurus is “the progressive candidate”, but when Bernie Sanders is discussed by the right, his socialist views are readily labeled as communist views that would undermine the entire capitalist system.
The progressive, radical, eccentric nature of Uranus tends to upset the status quo when passing through Taurus, the sign associated with stability, financial security, and sustainable growth. Uranus at its best presents ideas that may renovate a corrupt system, which can be symbolized by Saturn. It’s a curious coincidence that all the top-tier candidates except for Pete Buttigieg have a tight Saturn-Uranus aspect. These are the reformers, the ones who want to inject some fundamental changes into the current authoritarian corporatocracy that governs America.
Uranus is the featured archetype this election season since it’s transiting over the U.S. Descendant. In this position, it challenges the current national image as presented by the Scorpio Ascendant. Joe Biden, a Scorpio, has downplayed the Uranian side of his personality, and he’s become a disappointment. Sanders has moved to the top of the leaderboard, and he’s the epitome of Uranus in Taurus with his agenda of overhauling the medical system, taxing the billionaires, and implementing a green revolution.
Unfortunately, we don’t have an accurate birth time for Sanders, but his Mercury in early Libra is unusually well aspected. It’s trine his Saturn-Uranus conjunction and sextile Pluto, which empowers his progressive ideas in a way that’s unusually lucid and persuasive. His Mercury is also sextile Pallas, which nudges him into politics to advance his progressive agenda. And his Mercury opposes Eris, the Goddess of Discord: many of his bold plans cause a great deal of heated debate, since no one knows for sure how things will change if he gets his way.
Unless his Midheaven or Ascendant is at 25º of any sign, Sanders has no direct connection with the American people, as symbolized by the U.S. Moon at 25º Aquarius. A highly speculative birth time of 12:27 pm (as noted in AstroDataBank) gives him 25º Scorpio Rising, which would fit his relentless passion and reformer role. Transiting Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto in Capricorn are all forming supportive trines to his natal Saturn-Uranus conjunction during this election cycle.
Democrats might legitimately be concerned about his health. He was born with a feisty, energetic Moon-Mars conjunction in Aries, which is a great physical resource for enduring the hardships of the long campaign trail. This boisterous combination is being activated all year by a square from transiting Pluto, which fuels his drive to win. Problematically, the Pluto-Moon-Mars configuration doesn’t know when or how to take a break, when to rest and regenerate.
Book Reviewer Chris Lorenz
The last issue of Dell Horoscope magazine was sent out last week. It’s a significant change for me since I’ve been an integral part of the magazine’s content since 1993 when the transiting Uranus-Neptune conjunction landed right on my Capricorn Ascendant. And now the Saturn-Pluto conjunction in the same degree area has done in the magazine and a major outlet for my writings.
As befitting Saturn-Pluto, practical concerns outweighed the interests of the astrological community: print media just can’t keep up with the digital revolution, which is where the advertising dollars are being spent. In addition to the two or three feature-length articles I wrote for Horoscope every year, I also wrote the monthly book review under the pen name Chris Lorenz.
Being a book reviewer of the latest astrology books on the market has been a dream job for me. My passionate interest in learning about our celestial art/science was fulfilled each month with the latest entries of astrology’s best thinkers on a myriad of subjects. To write a clear review, I had to set aside my own biases about astrology and enter the author’s worldview.
In the earlier years, my tendency to be overly critical had to be tamed by the editor, Ronnie Grishman. In more recent years, the frequent positive feedback from both readers and authors suggested that I had developed a kinder, more intuitive style along with my regular analytical take on each book’s details and place in the overall astrology book market.
Being a book reviewer for “the world’s leading astrology magazine” has allowed me to build one of the country’s largest astrology libraries. I’ve organized the books into a variety of categories like “Beginners”, “Relationships”, “Medical”, “Mundane”, “Fiction”, and so on. They fill an entire room of book cases, with shelves going from the floor to the ceiling. And this is after I’ve tossed most of the Sun Sign books.
I’ve also just sorted through and organized all my book reviews from 2003 through the latest issue, March 2020. Reviews on Tarot, Magick, and Sun Sign astrology were not included, along with a few obscure takes on how to interpret astrology. I may make these collected reviews available in book form, so that students of astrology will know exactly where to go for the best source on their favorite sub-topic within astrology.
The reviews written before 2003 are about books written by Noel Tyl, Liz Greene, and other masters who slowed down by the time the new millennium arrived. I have these reviews in an old computer and may add those to the collection. As it is, the reviews I’ve collated (2003-2020) are some 192,000 words, which would make a heavy book. So I may reduce this to the top five in each category, or post a few here on NeptuneCafe.
Mercury just turned retrograde, so I’m still working on this project. Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions.
