Update of MC-Solar Cycle Essay

The most popular essay on this blog site, The MC-Solar Cycle, has been updated to include example charts.  Enjoy.  Dave

Like A Dog Chasing A Ball, Trump Can’t Resist Reacting To A Jab

Trump demonstrates his Mars-Conjunct-Ascendant every day.  During his campaign to win the U.S. Presidency he has often offered unusual views on the subject of nuclear weapons.  Korea and Japan should have them, others should have them.  Proliferation seems acceptable to him.  Recently, Putin had a long press conference and noted that Russia needed to modernize its inventory of atomic weapons.  The U.S. and Russia have an approximate parity, each having a hundred times the number needed in any massive war of destruction.  Trump immediately responded.  We will look at the charts for this incident.

This Dec. 13th chart is a t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return in the 4th house.  This placement has a theme of “Leading the way, living ahead of the curve.  Public spokesperson or being an icon fro a program.  Benefiting from assistance . . . being in a dangerous or target position.  Pursuing ones goals and career.”  (This is taken, in part, from my book).  Let us see what in the chart supports or illuminates this theme for the next two weeks.

• Because of Trump having a natal full Moon pattern, and because of this time of the year when t/Sun is in Sagittarius, Trump also has a t/Sun-n/Moon pattern opposite his t/Moon-n/Sun pattern.  All of his basic, and seemingly automatic instincts are unleashed.  We will have to watch out for future December periods in his Presidency.
• t/Mars-t/PoF-Desc. opp. n/Mars-n/Asc-t/Asc;  isn’t this dynamic.  Mars, the Asc. and the Part of Fortune all inter-linked.  Punch, counter-punch, taking chances, all of these are dominating this chart.
• A re-alignment of natal angles to transiting/advance chart angles will occur in the next several days.  We know that these chart angles advance a degree or so each day.  In some six or so days, these angles will gain and demonstrate great power to shape Trump’s life.

This is the basic message of this two-week cyclic chart.  Let us now look ahead to Dec. 22nd when this “tit-for-tat” exchange between Putin and Trump took place.

Donald Trump, in response to Putin’s remarks over preparing for the use of atomic weapons, has stated that the U.S. must increase its stockpile of nuclear weapons! Remember HRC’s comments about not letting him have his finger on the big button? Just because Putin has his generals reviewing the presence of NATO on its boarders, wants to improve their nuclear posture and rebalance the two sides (both have an almost equal number around 7000 weapons), Trump has to immediately go into “high response” mode. The following Advanced chart is for Dec. 22nd, 2016, and is shown below.

• The first thing we notice is a BIGGIE! The chart’s angles are realigned with the natal angles. This is like a ‘re-birth.’ It is a time when decisions and actions can result in a major change in one’s life. Deciding before you take the office of President that you need to increase the number of nuclear weapons when we have 100 times more than any war could possibly use is sheer insanity.
• The next notable factor is t/Mars on the Descendant: fighting against another. Now, note that t/Mars also conjoins t/Pallas! This relates to ‘picking a fight’, going against a consensus, having a chip on one’s shoulder, not caring about pleasing others. Up until now, Trump has promoted a ‘friends with Russia’ theme. It doesn’t take much to change his mind!
• We have a third major pattern in this chart. t/Part of Fortune triggers n/Sun-n/Node-n/Uranus-opposite-n/Moon and t/Saturn. Remember the t/PoF travels some 13 degrees per day so it easily triggers this grouping. This is Trump’s ‘trigger’ point. Since Sun-Node-Mars opposes Moon, and t/Saturn is also there, he is being especially mean and harsh reacting these days.

Now we get to play astrological hopscotch and jump between natal and transiting versions of the planets we have just looked at.

• n/PoF is triggered by the afore mentioned t/Pallas (and t/Mars) and adds to the fire in Trump’s heart.
• n/PoF also opposes n/Mars. This natal pattern adds to Trump’s quick-to-punch-back nature.
• t/Moon is leaving t/Jupiter but has also (earlier today) triggered t/Uranus and t/Ceres. Ceres is the motherland and protective issues, so Moon makes the world jumpy at this moment. That is plenty to think about.

The nature of Donald Trump, and his near-term assumption of the office of the President, will likely provide many interesting charting opportunities.  But, Trump doesn’t make up all of the news.  I hope to offer charts on other interesting people and events and not to follow Trump closely unless he does something really wild.  By now we have seen enough of him on TV and in the charts covered here to know what he is like.

I would like to explore offering tools to help others better appreciate the ease of using these charts and their effectiveness in describing daily life.  If we can view what has ,a nd what will affect us, then we can more easily take steps to re-balance the daily disruptions that we experience.  Happy New Year.  Dave

Political Intrique, Guilty, No Direct Penalty

Christine Lagarde, IMF Director Found Guilty of Negligence.

This event, these charts, require a sensitivity to the context of Lagarde’s life and activities. In 2007, while Ms Lagarde oversaw an arbitration case between Bernie Tapie and the bank Credit Lyonnais, Lagarde ruled for Mr Tapie to receive some 45 million. The French public was upset by the size of the award.  She had an opportunity to modify that award but declined to do so after the fact because it would have spawned new lawsuits against Mr. Tapie. In 2011, Ms Lagarde became director of the International Monetary Fund located in Washington, D.C. in the U.S.

France’s special court for addressing criminal cases against government officials decided to take up challenges to the 2007 award to Mr. Tapie.  They held the trial and today, Dec. 19th, 2016, issued a guilty verdict relative to her decision.  Mr. Tapie will have to repay his award.  Ms Lagarde leaves court with no actual punishment indicated.  While no fines, jail time, or action by the court against her will apply, the finding may damage Ms Lagarde’s ability to run the International Monetary Fund at this sensitive time.  Greece is having problems maintaining financial stability, the British are leaving the EU, and tough times are ahead for the IMF.

With this context of Ms Lagarde’s life in mind, let us now examine a t/Moon-opp-n/Sun Return chart and an Advanced chart for her court verdict.  The natal planets are located in the outer wheel, the transits are inside.  This permits computer software to “advance” or rotate the inner chart as desired.

The theme from the book, Personal Moon-to-Sun Returns 2, says, “Management of resources such as money, real estate or a joint project.  Accounting for past practices and personal actions.  Changes in plans, emotional issues. The disbursement of resources.  Supporting the needs of another,  A personal transition and/or crises.  Reflecting on one’s self-esteem.”  This book statement may have been written a couple of years ago for just this one occasion, it fits so well.

n/Saturn-Asc., t/Chiron-IC:  In this two week period limitations of various sorts will be felt by the chart-subject.  These will require some adjustments dictating changed practices.  This n/Saturn-Asc. squares n/Pluto in the 9th house of international affairs.  Ebertin notes for this pattern, “Being placed in cumbersome and difficult circumstances . . .”  This same n/Saturn also squares t/Mars; being attacked under difficult conditions.  This same t/Mars opposes n/Pluto (noted earlier).  Hidden motives and old information is used in this attack.

While there is no other angular planets other than n/Saturn and t/Chiron, we can play astrological hopscotch and bring in other symbols to help fill out the details.  Remember, this is both a daily chart and a theme-chart for the whole two-week period to follow.  Astrological hopscotch is a jumping process leading from a significant or angular planet, either natal or transiting, to the other version of the same planet, transiting or natal version.

Lets jump over to t/Pluto which conjoins t/Mercury; the attack and difficulties will be linked to words and decisions made.  Let us jump to the n/Asc. which we see squares t/Venus and n/Venus.  This doubled-up Venus is generally favorable — which proved to be so in this case with the lack of a court-ordered punishment.  Let us now peek at n/Chiron at 3 Aqaurius.  We find it having no major contacts, suggesting that changes will not affect her daily life.

We can now look at the trial’s conclusion, Dec. 19th, 2016 in Paris.

n/Saturn at the chart’s Ascendant:  This is a serious and defining moment.  Let us look a little deeper as the only other angular planet is t/Chiron.  n/Saturn is at the midpoint of t/Jupiter and t/Pluto.  One’s success is tarnished.  Let’s jump over to the natal version of this planet pair; n/Jupiter-n/Pluto which opposes t/Mars and has a square-and-a-half (135 degrees) aspect to t/Pluto.  It is all tangled up.  Mars can be brutal when combined with Pluto.  In this case the politics within France was influenced by Germany’s dismay over the original ruling which had an effect upon the reserves behind the Euro as well as affecting the availability of funds from the IMF for other purposes.  This was no simple case.

Yet, the Venus-return pattern in a broad square to n/Asc. seems to have protected Ms Lagarde from personal fines or other direct limitations.  In all Advanced charts, one of the players we have to always note is the t/Part of Fortune.  Here, t/PoF opposes t/Saturn-t/Sun-n/N.Node.  Limitations affecting her personally, or her responsibilities to others (Saturn-Node) is up in the air.  It may happen, it may not.

Time will be required to see if Lagarde’s position within the IMF will be affected by both the ‘guilty-but-unpunished’ finding of the court and the political maneuvering behind the scenes by parties within both France and Germany.  Dave

 

 

 

 

 

Guilty As Planned, What Was The Point?

 

There he stood, same blank look on his face as had been displayed during his trial.  Standing near a rear door in the court house, flanked by two guards, perhaps or perhaps not, thinking about the just-pronounced words of the judge and jury.  Guilty of 33 counts for murder, etc.  Then, he is taken down the steps and into a police car to be returned to his cell.

This occurred yesterday, Dec. 15, 2016 just outside of Charleston where a year and a half ago he had killed nine after sitting with a bible study class at Charleston’s most famous church; the  Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C.  That shooting was called into the police at 9:05 PM, June 17, 2015. After reloading and shooting more people, Roof decided to let one live so his story could be told.  He then attempted to shoot himself, but the gun was empty.  He lest and left for North Carolina later that night.

In this posting, I will use the shooting date and time as the base-chart, and then look at the t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return of that shooting relative to the multiple guilty verdict delivered yesterday. But first, the shooting chart.

Chart for June 17, 2015 at 9:05 PM, Charleston, SC. at the time of calls made to police about the shooting at the church.

Note the T-square of Moon-opp-Pluto, square Uranus.  This is essentially a cardinal T-Square.  Note also Sun-Mars in the 6th, square Chiron and inconjunct  Saturn.  As an event chart, much can be said about this chart.

• The T-square (Moon-Pluto-Uranus) tells of a high emotionally charged situation. Fanaticism, a fighting mentality, a sudden upset, a crises at hand.
• An assertive will and intent was present (Sun-Mars-inconj-Saturn) that spurnned any sense of limitation or conventional structure.  In fact, this ‘will or intent’ within Roof was inconsiderate of convention.  The t-square pattern showed a strong rebellion against society.
• That Sun-Mars pattern squared Chiron; there was a sense of something needed to be ‘made right’ in this pattern.  Roof was making right the perceived damage of the black community against the white people in his world.  The fact that he could see this, along with the white supremacists he communicated with and was inspired by, and others could not was a point that was lost upon him.  He had to fix the problem that was obsessing him.

Most of us will ask ourselves, “How could a young man of 21 years of age, living in an area all of his life, come to such a warped viewpoint.  He was not homeless, had not been denied food and shelter, had a family and friends, was not being personally and daily put into humiliating or degrading situations.  Where did this hate come from?  Like those who had become radicalized in Europe and had joined Isis in Syria, many come into contact with hate groups with local members or through the Internet, and they become as sharply radicalized as any other person in another country.  Those who remain along and out of daily active contact with friends and family are often drawn to fringe elements.

Let us look at the t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return of Dec. 14th, the date the trial ended.

The trial for Roof ended, the jury was sent home to rest.  They would report the next day and begin deliberations.  Roof had no witnesses called on his behalf.  His lawyer did not contest the charges.  What he had done was known to all and could not be contested on any rational basis.

• In this Return chart the shooting-Moon was at the MC; public attention was focused on this date on what had occurred 18 months earlier.
• t/Mercury at the IC conjoined shooting Pluto-opposite-shooting Moon-MC.  News and talking about this brutal public assault had both ended and would start anew.
• t/Part of Fortune-Descendant squared this Moon-Mercury-Pluto combination.  Chance and change, perhaps chaos, would prevail in this period.
• The Sun-Mars of the shooting chart was now replaced by t/Sun-t/Saturn in the 3rd house; a ‘severe will’ would manifest itself in this period.
• t/Jupiter-shooting MC-opp-Uranus in the first-seventh house axis, and squaring the shooting Part of Fortune.  The court of law (Jupiter) would contest the unique efforts of Roof to initiate a race-war (his stated goal for the shooting) and his attempt to sow disruption and upset (both Uranus and its square to Part of Fortune) would show itself to the world.

Let us now jump to the very next day, the 15th of December.

What a difference a single day can make.  In court, the jury was charged by the judge, they left and deliberated, they came back two hours later.  One by one, each of the 33 counts was read and the verdict given by the jury; guilty, guilty, guilty  . . . guilty.

• t/Moon had come to the day’s MC and the shooting Moon position.
• t/Mercury opposed this Moon-Moon and conjoined shooting Pluto.  The deliberation addressed the depraved actions (Pluto) and the emotional rejection of the public (Moon-Moon).
• t/PoF (7th) square shooting/PoF (4th), changes hoped for were not obtained.  The changes brought a new result (t/PoF-IC) then what had been striven for (shooting PoF in the shooting/first house).
• t/Sun opposing shooting/Sun:  a contest of wills and intent was at hand.  Roof’s will and intent (shown as the shooting Sun-Mars) was up against the jury’s will and intent (shown as the Sun-Saturn combination). The 3rd house represents his peers and local talking, communication as well as news reporters.

There will be, in another several weeks, a penalty phase for this trial in which this same jury will consider the level of punishment.  Death, life without parole, or some other form of punishment will be decided.  At that trial Roof’s lawyers will be much more active, trying to paint him as a deranged, under emotional influences, and deserving some lesser form of punishment than death.

 

So, what was the point of this shooting?  He had come to hate black people.  He had shot and killed nine.  He left one alive to tell the story of the shooting.  That same person was in court, facing him, telling the story of his actions.  OK.  So, what now? This was not the moment to cause the hoped-for uprising against the citizens of his state.  That should have occurred (if it ever was to happen) shortly after the shooting. Was he asking himself why and how it had all gone wrong.  Was his effort, his life, a wasted effort and a wasted life?  It was.  But it cost so much to so many others.  Was he capable of seeing that, deep inside himself.  We do not know.

Dave

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trump Is Dismissive Of The CIA’s Report On Russian Hacking

Dec. 9, 2016.  Donald Trump made the first of many following statements about the CIA’s report finding that Russian hacking of campaign computers, both Democratic and Republican, had occurred.  Further, this information was furnished to other parties to influence media reporting and the outcome of the U.S. Presidential Election of Nov. 8th.

On another site, I had commented on this view and statements by Donald Trump.  While there are very many daily “issues” raised by this man, these words were disturbing.  The chart for Dec. 9th and my observations bring up some subtle points of interpretation which I want to share. 

Below is the Dec. 9th Advanced chart for Donald Trump. The natal chart is outside, the transiting/Advanced chart is inside.  This is so the computer software can ‘rotate’ the inner-transiting-planets forward day by day.

 

Note t/Sun-t/Saturn-Desc. angle; “a professional authority (Saturn-Sun) promotes something you resist (Desc. angle).

This t/Sun-t/Saturn squares t/Chiron in the 11th. “The CIA assessment is instrumental in changing or adjusting (Chiron) something that needs correction regarding (world) community relations”. We can relate this to Russia as the 11th house is the 3rd house from the 9th house of foreign affairs.  Using relationships between houses in this way is often referred to as using Derivative Houses.  (The most complete book on this subject is Robert Pelletier’s “Planets in Houses.”)   What Russia says or did (in communication or cyber activities, a 3rd house function) affects our understanding and relations in a world context.  

The position of Trump in rejecting or fighting back against this is seen in his n/Sun being opposite the t/Sun; “a contest of wills or perspective or intent”.  This opposition of the two Sun’s attacks Trumps belief that he is very unique in his dealings with and understanding of others (n/Sun, n/N.Node, n/Uranus) and can decide/dictate everything relative to others — this pattern is in the natal 11th house.

With t/Chiron in the 11th house of this Advanced chart, this whole scenario fights against his natal 11th house perspective on his place in the world. The CIA assessment is an insult on him personally.  Don’t confuse his views with facts. 

In Summary:

• Derivative Houses, as a technique, can add subtle and appropriate meaning to our interpretation of a chart.
• An emphasis on a house, such as the 11th house here, in which both the natal chart and Return-or-Advanced chart also involves that house is an important factor to note.  It is much like “doubled up” planets.
• Each year we experience the t/Sun conjoining, opposing and twice-squaring our n/Sun position.  When this occurs in a Return or an Advanced chart, this can often be interpreted as a ‘distinction between the will and intent of two people.’  The conjoining pattern suggests a similarity of views and actions, the square aspects point to a disagreement in views or a challange in one’s actions.  The opposition is almost always a total difference in how things are seen, what the solution might be.

In the days following Trump’s rejection of the CIA’s findings about hacking, he has repeatedly railed against the CIA and it’s employees.  It is astounding that he, as President-elect, will soon by responsible for that agency and all the other agencies of the federal government.  That he should publicly insult their value and work is not a good thing to comptemplate.  This person will, unfortunately, provide much to use for charting examples in the coming months.  Dave

Book Review Posted

A press-release and chapter review of my new book, Personal Moon-to-Sun Returns 2, is posted under the menu “Press Releases & Reviews.”  This provides a full account of the book’s contents.  The book can be acquired through Amazon.com or other Internet resellers.  You can acquire this book at a lower cost from Amazon than I can purchase it from the printer and ship it to you.  That is the nature of mass marketing and selling.

 

 

 

 

The Co-Descendant (CD) Point

As promised, I have added an essay on the CD or Co-Descendant Point which is used in Solar Returns, Advanced charts and Diurnal charts.  I’ll have to explore their use in the t/Moon-n/Sun Returns and Advanced charts.  Check out the last entry on the Essay menu.

Posting Index is Updated

The Posting Index has been updated through November of 2016.

Trial for Hate Crime & Mass Murder Commences

Pictured here is the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church of Charleston, S.C.  It was here on June 17, 2015 that Dylan Roof, a white young adult, walked into a bible-study class, sat for an hour after being welcomed into the group, and then stood and fired some 60 shots, killing nine and leaving three alive to tell his story of hate.

This posting will present two themes: First, to present the charts and the story of Dylan Roof’s coming to trial, and second, to illustrate some basic interpretive concepts relating to Moon-to-Sun Returns.  Today, Dec. 7, 2016, Roof’s trial starts.  Charts are set for Charleston, S.C. where the murder of nine happened.

We first note the house location of the t/Moon and n/Sun; here in the 5th to the 11th houses.  I will modify the book’s theme for this placement to meet the extreme situation at hand. “Caught up in a project involving others which involves future actions. Disappointment.  Unease between personal and public life situations.”  We can catch the idea of this 5th to 11th house opposition. Roof is caught up between his own reckless actions (5th) and community (11th) concerns.

One closely angular planet grouping is found in the chart, t/Saturn-t/Mercury at the 7th angle.  A highly structured conversation is about to start — that is what a trial is.  Note the n/Ascendant in the 7th!  His personal life is of concern to others — the jury and the community.  There are angular houses with planets not overly close to the angles.  t/N.Node is close to the recent eclipse point at 9 Virgo, as it should be.  It opposes t/Neptune-n/Saturn in the 10th.  This ‘doubles up’ Saturn, making the structured conversation the focal point of the chart.  Because t/Mercury is angular we have to jump over to n/Mercury.  We find n/Mercury-n/Mars at t/Chiron’s position.  First, Mercury becomes a doubled up planet, adding greatly to the emphasis on the structured conversation (the trial), as well as Roof’s ‘anger’ involved in the hateful shooting of black church goers.  t/Chiron links to n/Chiron at the recent eclipse point.  Another doubling up of a planet, Chiron, indicating adjustments of a major nature have to be addressed.

What this chart illustrates:

• A seemingly simple chart can tell a very strong story once we delve into it.
• A few angular planets, Saturn and Mercury at the Descendant, define the story in very clear terms — a structured conversation, or a court trial.
• Doubled-up planets add great emphasis to the theme of what they mean.  In this chart we have Saturn, Mercury, Chiron all emphasized.
• Simple key words for a ‘planet’ can be used to effectively summarize a situation in most cases.
• The house placement of the t/Moon-and-n/Sun provide a ‘theme’ statement which is useful in framing the chart’s meaning.

Let us now look at today’s chart, Dec. 7th, 2016, as the Federal trial starts for Roof.  There is some background to this story that we can consider.  Another shooting took place in the Charleston, S.C. area shortly after Roof’s killing rampage.  A policeman shot a black man who was running away from him in a park.  It was claimed by the defendant that he was in fear of his life even though the running man was quite far away and running to put distance between them.  The man was killed.  Hours before Roof’s trial started, that defendant in the other trial had a ‘hung jury’ due to a lone juror not being able to consider him guilty.  The whole state was up in arms over this unbelievable turn of events.  This does not bode well for Roof’s trial.

As the trial starts we find that the ‘quiet’ nature of the Return chart has changed greatly.  The Solar Eclipse point and t/N.Node opposite t/Neptune-n/Saturn at the MC becomes the sole focus point.  We have moved from the personal axis (the Asc.-Desc.) to the vertical axis (IC-MC) of one’s basic principles and life status-goal.

The mixture of Saturn and Neptune seldom seems to bode well, interpretively.  We find ‘idealism’ meeting ‘reality.’  When an individual’s idealism meets the world’s ‘reality’, the world holds sway over the individual in most cases.  Roof has a demonstrated history of anger against the black community.  How that came about so strongly in a very young man is another story.  Let us stop to consider what we will be looking for in an Advanced chart.

• We always look for closely angular planets.
• We check out the t/Sun, t/Moon, t/Part of Fortune (t/PoF).
• We look for doubled-up planet patterns.

We have noted t/Neptune-n/Saturn opposite t/N.Node and the Eclipse point.  Note the t/Sun conjoining t/Saturn; one’s intent and well being is coming upon restrictions and harsh situations.   Now note t/Moon squaring the n/Asc.; his emotional and security or self-preservation thoughts are being challenged (the square) by his actions (Ascendant).

Finally, note the t/PoF which has just passed his n/PoF (chaos and internal panic) and will contact his n/MC on this day (realization that his life goals and status) is up for big changes.

That’s it.  When we take these charts step by step, they become relatively simple to understand.  The only thing we have to do for this chart and for any chart we study is to know the ‘context’ of the subject’s life at this point.

Roof had posted social media material showing his affiliation with the ideals of hate groups.  He had photos of himself in various forms of dress implying his militant approach to hating black people.  He walked into one of the most famous black churches in the U.S. and sat in on a bible study group for an hour.  Then he shot and killed nine, leaving three to tell his story of hate.  He fled the state but was arrested soon after in North Carolina and returned.  Now, one and a half years later, he is standing trial in Federal court because the state of S.C. does not have a hate-crime law and the death sentence penalty.  Roof is facing a dire personal situation.  Meanwhile the whole Charleston, SC community, has come together.  Roof’s message of hate has been rejected.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snowden, Asylum, Solar Return chart

I have not recently engaged in any Solar Return and Prog’d Daily Angles charts.  This is a good time to look at Edward Snowden’s ‘temporary asylum’ being granted by Russia.  This was covered in the previous posting using Moon-Sun Return charting.  We will now look at this from a different perspective.

Solar Returns, being orientated on the astrological Sun, focus our attention on the Sun’s many attributes:  vitality, self-interests, intention, decisions, life-style, direction’s taken, recognition.  The 2013 Solar Return (shown here in precession-corrected Tropical format) found Snowden in Moscow, detained somewhere within the Moscow airport.  Without a valid passport, wanted by the United States for criminal activity (stealing secret documents), Snowden was in ‘limbo.’  Russia was not sure what do do with him.  He was in possession of a great number of highly secret documents which Russia and many others would like to have.  But, trying to take those from Snowden posed two very big problems.  The diplomatic problems would be immense and Snowden was an encryption expert — the files might not be able to be accessed.  Snowden’s 2013 Solar Return chart is shown below.

This 2013 p.c. Solar Return for Edward Snowden is produced by the RIYAL software which is a free-to-download and free-to-use astrological application created and developed by Juan Revilla of Costa Rica.  Guidelines for its download and set up is provided from the menu selections.  As a reminder, the focus on these Return charts is upon angular planets.  t/Sun-n/Sun lies just above the Ascendant, close enough to be considered angular.  The whole focus of this chart, this solar return year, is on Snowden-the-person.  He is a public figure, not in the sense of the MC being involved, but in terms of him as a personality.  What he has done, how he did it, why he did it, what he will do next, his motivation — all of these questions are wrapped up in the public’s interest in ‘who is Edward Snowden?’

The Solar Return Sun opposes his n/Neptune, as it does every year of his life.  He is a person whose life-direction is always tied to his ideals and social sensitivity.  Note in this chart that t/Moon is inconjunct t-n/Sun; Snowden is in a state of un-balance and needs to make some major life adjustments.  We might wish to jump over from t/Moon to n/Moon which conjoins the t/N.Node.  His sense of personal comfort and security (n/Moon) is linked to his immediate associations (t/N.Node) with whom he has to work with (the Russian authorities).  Let us now look at his Progressed Daily Angles (PSSR for Sidereal astrologers) chart for August 1, 2013, when Russia granted him temporary asylum.

This is where things become interesting, chart-wise.  Note, first, that t/Sun is just above the Ascendant.  Because of angular distortion the Sun and Ascendant have both advanced roughly by similar amounts.  The MC has advanced some 56 degrees in the intervening 40 days.  Remember, due to the MC-Solar Cycle mechanics, the Solar Return angles advanced about 1.25 degrees per day, or 450 degrees per year.  So, 40 days should roughly be 50 degrees.  In this case, it is 56 degrees.

n/Venus-Asc. is the closest angular planet.  This placement bestows ‘favor’ and support on the subject.  With t/Sun just above the Asc. we can say that Snowden’s interests and presence are important.  Because of angular distortion of the chart at Moscow’s latitude, we may not notice the square aspect of n/Venus and t/Sun to n/Moon-t/Saturn-t/N.Node in the 4th.  This complex pattern involves Snowden’s security and place-of-residence (4th house).

There is another important point to note in this chart, one that I had discovered many decades ago.  In my book, Personal Prediction (which deals with Solar Returns as precession-corrected Tropical depictions of sidereal practices), I noted the “CD angles” or Co-Descendant.  This point in the chart is determined by taking the arc-angle of the Asc.-to-MC and applying it in the direction of the Descendant angle.  In this chart that CD point is about 29 Sag.

What the CD point does is to make the MC of the chart the midpoint between the CD and the Ascendant.  Any planet at or opposite the CD point forces the MC to adjust its status and direction to personally accommodate (the Ascendant) the CD-planet (as an intruder into one’s life business).  Here, we have n/Neptune near the CD point and the CD point opposite Snowden’s n/Sun.  In other words, Snowdens natal-inclination to deal with his personal idealism is brought into sharp focus; his own idealism has put him into this situation.  Fortunately, t/Jupiter is opposite this CD point and Snowden’s Sun-opp-Neptune pattern.  He received support on this date.

When I find time in the next several days, I will try to write a description with examples of just how this CD point works.  It is ‘invented’, yes, but it is really just the application of basic mid-point mechanics.  As an example, in this chart, the midpoint of the August 1, 2013 Ascendant and MC angles is 17 Gemini where we find the n/MC angle.  The Asc.-MC midpoint has long been seen by Astrologers as representing “the Here and Now” situation for the subject.  Here, n/MC at this sensitive point again repeats the message of the chart that Snowden’s status in life is of utmost importance at this date.