Tres embarrasingly, it’s reported that several of Mr. Obama’s top aides haven’t gotten around to paying theirs and I cannot imagine that anyone who assists the president thinks that this irony–some might say, hyposcrisy–won’t be used by an opponent as Mr. Obama campaigns for re-election!

Why, even Mitt 1% Romney pays what he legally owes (and not a penny more)…well, except for taxes on any gold dubloons he may have tucked away in very secret places.

Oh, the ruling class. Aren’t they a caution?

SOTU 2012 will be delivered under the Air-Air influence of a Sun Aquarius-Moon Aquarius blend which indicates mental focus, gregariousness, and a detached friendliness. The AQ/AQ blend is idealistic, helpful, and very observant yet can operate as ‘a law unto itself’. (Well, these are politicians we’re talking about here!)

Sun AQ/Moon AQ is shared natally by a US president: William McKinley, and has three Images for Integration, one of which may remind you of President Obama’s popularity in Europe and elsewhere:

“A friend to all the world looks in the mirror and takes time out to befriend herself…The living, breathing entity we call society…The Jolly Green Giant.” (Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles & Suzi Harvey.)

Now I can imagine Mr. Obama using the word “society” during SOTU 2012 but I’m not certain where Green Giant canned peas can possibly come in! Well, except for Americans who can’t afford a can of peas or much else to serve tonight for their children’s dinners…

And no president’s rhetoric will ever be a substitute for that.

Here’s what I wrote about the Internet power grab recently on Stars Over Washington:

“Our millionaire Senate is set to vote on SOPA on January 24, 2012 and this draconian bill will sail through to a corporate harbor if enough people fail to speak up and out. If it passes then subversive, controlling string-puller Pluto in staid Capricorn will win and we will lose a larger chunk of our republic and our right to exercise free speech than we may yet appreciate.”

That’s just me. But do you blame me?

Now my annual post on the SOTU Address horoscope of January 24, 2012 isn’t published yet but if you have a chance, please check out today’s SO’W entry concerning President Obama’s very current Mars Return 2012 which began this past Saturday, crescendoes and forces acceptance on February 1, 2012, and wraps up–hopefully with real solutions–on June 18, 2012. However, its Martian effects last until the next time Mars returns to its natal position on the evening Barack Obama was born, and times a two-year cycle of new activity beginning for our president, and thus, for America as long as he is It.

Because this is a ‘three-fer’ Mars Return (3x) due to planetary retrogradation, Mr. Obama may have activities and projects left over to deal with, overlapping activities (who wouldn’t in the White House?), stop-and-go delays–all with a drawn out emphasis on Martian matters and issues which need closer consideration than if Mars returned only once.

The three horoscopes (Jan 14-Feb 1-June 18, 2012) may also be read individually by dividing the two-year Martian period into thirds with each Mars Return horoscope representing that third of the two-year period.

However, as you will see if you click above, the Moon makes an excellent timer in any chart and here, a Geminian Luna returns to her natal position in the horoscope of Barack Obama on February 1, 2012–the day of his Rx Mars Return, #2 of 3.

All your on-topic comments are welcome!

Y’all keep looking up on January 15 and 16, okay?

Space Weather News for Jan. 5, 2012

MARS PROBE PHOTOGRAPHED: Phobos-Grunt, a Russian Mars probe stuck in Earth orbit since November, is sinking back into the atmosphere. Best estimates suggest re-entry will occur on Jan. 15th or 16th. Meanwhile, citizen scientists can see the probe moving through the night sky sometimes shining as brightly as a first-magnitude star.

French astrophotographer Thierry Legault recently photographed Phobos-Grunt through a 14-inch telescope, revealing its outlines and perhaps a clue as to why the probe has had difficulty communicating with Earth.

His images and video are highlighted on today’s edition of SpaceWeather News.

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Astro-Note: well, yes, I know that the words and description of “Phobos-Grunt, the Mars probe” “re-entering” Earth’s atmosphere is astrologically replete (‘pregnant’?) with vast amounts of testosterone-laden symbology but considering that the glyph for Mars is a circle sporting a ‘sexy’ arrow, this is to be expected, at least on a sophomoric level, right?

Yet who can mention Mars when studying Political Astrology without noting the Mars ‘god of war’, quarrelling, shooter, activism, instigation (ex: arson), rioting, and protest associations?

Not I, said the reluctant astrologer!

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 43,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 16 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Happy New Year–and Thanks, WordPress for all you do! Jude

As you know, our current Uranus/Pluto cycle began in the mid-1960s (@ 17 Virgo) and their square (blockage; obstacles; frustration) phase has brought up similarly explosive uprisings over societal issues such as Human Rights and the need to rebalance our conditions lest things tip beyond repair.

Their square times a generational stand-off as well and remarks against how America has been poorly handled by the ‘boomer generation’ may often be heard concerning our screw-ups and corruptions. As one of those awful ‘boomers’ I must agree with this view–yet the controlling Pluto in the equation represents the wealthiest 1% of plutonians, oligarchs, and monarchs while Uranus, the Radical Rebel, signifies those who prefer change and progress–as do I!

So for an astrological overview of 2012 as no one else can, check out Theodore’s new column when you dare, okay?

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You may also wish to try one of my early posts of the New Year Election 2012, Mars/Neptune, and ‘The City of the Sun’, and whenever you can amass together on behalf of the common good…Occupy!

Also recommended: void the corporate Citizens United! Visit Move To Amend to particpate–on their calendar is a peaceful ‘Occupy the Courts’ protest scheduled for January 20, 2012 at noon in Washington DC with my favorite progressive broadcaster Thom Hartmann taking part.

by Jude Cowell

Today’s Winter Solstice got me curious about an article in the History Today archive concerning the blend that created what millions of people now celebrate in America and across the globe as “Christmas” though “Christ’s Mass” is closer to the truth.

Through the centuries, nearly all Protestant churches have fallen in line with the Vatican over this pagan-Christian mixture of ancient rites, symbols, and cults such as Rome’s Mithraism, and modern man has turned the holiday into Big Business today by commercial interests, as our bank accounts annually attest.

Writer Alexander Murray’s Medieval Christmas puts a modern bow on an old topic which is on almost everyone’s minds this week, and btw–my favorite color is purple, in case you’re already making your gift list for next year!

Related posts include Winter Solstice 2011 showing the horoscope set for Washington DC, my overview of the Nov-Dec 2011 Solar and Lunar Eclipses, and a speculative natal chart for Jesus of Nazareth, timed by a Moon/Jupiter occultation!

'Behind the Zebra' collage by Jude Cowell

On this day marking the US withdrawal from pillaged Iraq, here is one of my paper collages which was created some years ago. As always with such visual combinations, it’s a Collage Mirage!

For some reason, every time I run across this particular collage I think of popcorn. Or kefir!

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In case you’re interested, Stars Over Washington has been updated today with a brief Political Astrology post regarding the end of our misbegotten Iraq War. Check out Iraq War Ends w US Saturn Uppermost if you wish.

And pass the lowfat blueberry kefir while you’re at it…

The horoscope for that hour and date tonight set for DC shows US natal Neptune 22Vig25 rising, and as you know, Virgo is the sign of Work, Service (including military and police), and Health; plus, the stars of Virgo are very important to the cosmic founding of America and our Ceres-Venus-Columba-goddess archetypes and obsessions (ex: Statue of Liberty.)

Consider Fixed Star Denebola, now @ 22Virgo: keywords: ‘to go against society; against the mainstream’ which seems to me to be just what politicians are conspiring to do when they fiddle faddle around and neglect the creation of employment opportunities and programs that could put Americans back to work and which would help boost the US economy.

Instead we get such frothiness as light bulb efficiency regulations and reaffirmation of our national motto even though it was reaffirmed as recently as 2002.

Yes, it’s time and dime wasting on Capitol Hill! And of course, transit Neptune @ 28AQ is still within orb of US natal Moon (we-the-people) which brought us floods, fraud, and home foreclosures with the resulting homelessness, sense of rootlessness, and loss.

Besides, any chart with Neptune rising describes unstable and/or deceptive conditions so with a rising spiritual, idealistic, and inspired yet confused Neptune, planet of fraud, dissolution, oil-gas-water, and poisons, I hope the megabus bill passed today doesn’t have what’s called “poison pills” hidden secretly in Neptunian fashion within its 2,300 pages.

And with President Obama’s natal Mars (motivation; desire nature; energy ;action principle) veiled by US natal Neptune, can we depend on Mr. Obama to veto what the majority of us don’t want such as indefinite detention? Doubtful–also a Neptunian word.

Anyway, here’s a SpaceWeather News update for you about a comet that avoided being extinguished in spite of all the Sun could do:

Space Weather News Dec 16, 2011

SUNGRAZING COMET SURVIVES: Sungrazing Comet Lovejoy has confounded the experts and survived its close encounter with the sun. Last night, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory recorded amazing movies of the comet entering and exiting the sun’s atmosphere.

Comet Lovejoy’s scorched remnant is now receding from the sun in full view of the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. Visit SpaceWeather.com for the latest movies and discussion.

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If you’re not overly wary of Political Astrology, you may wish to check out my freshly updated blog Stars Over Washington, or, for briefer posts and what could be groanworthy verses, I promise to tell nary a soul if you simply mosey on silent paws to Woolly Mammoth Chronicles while no one is looking!

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And from one blogger, here’s a very special message:

Welcome Home to All US Soldiers!

Though I’ve been blogging since 2005, there are no illusions here as to whether my years of blogging have magically turned me into a journalist (they haven’t–plus, no paycheck for blogging going on around here), and I want to spotlight this story about a Seattle District Judge who ruled against a blogger, Crystal Cox, and leveled a $2.5 million decision against her.

As the 99% would expect, the judgment was in favor of the corporate litigant and against an individual citizen who was spreading inconvenient info!

The question, Are bloggers journalists? has grown whiskers and gone gray around the muzzle but it’s still on the reptilian minds of big gorilla corporations–and the US government–so if you’re a blogger or care about one, you may want to snoop like a journalist into the rest of the story.

Additionally, there are the concepts of citizen journalism and user generated content made possible by the rise of the Internet.

Where do you stand on these issues? Get it off your chest by answering the poll (up to 3 choices) or add your opinion in a comment.

Oh, and…blog on, everyone!