Karmic Knowledge

In the past month, we’ve seen an enormous amount of volatility in the global financial markets, mostly due to the subprime mortgage crisis and the collapse of the real estate bubble. In an attempt to calm the panic, the Federal Reserve dusted off a protocol last invoked during the great depression of the 1930s, enabling the agency to facilitate a buyout of troubled investment bank Bear Stearns.

Now it seems the use of the historical procedure has emboldened the Fed to seek greater powers over the US financial system. That, and some interestingly timed planetary transits.

On Monday, March 31st, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson ( I’ll say more on Paulson in a later post) will appear before Congress to ask that the Federal Reserve be given new powers to oversee the US financial markets. The Fed was initially created to oversee only commercial banks, those that cater to Mr. and Mrs. Average American.

Coincidentally, the Fed’s powers were already increased in 1994 with the passage of the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA). HOEPA assigned the Federal Reserve the task of preventing predatory lending practices in the home mortgage market.
The Federal Reserve was established on December 23rd, 1913 in order to create a central bank that would standardize US currency. I was unable to find an exact time for its founding, so I ran the chart for 12 noon. (Click chart for larger image.)

It is a common misconception that the Federal Reserve is a branch of the US Federal Government. It is, in fact, an independent entity run by a Board of Governors whose members are appointed by the president. Wikipedia explains it this way:

It is considered an independent central bank because its decisions do not have to be ratified by the President or anyone else in the executive or legislative branch of government, it does not receive funding appropriated by Congress and the terms of the members of the Board of Governors span multiple presidential and congressional terms.

There exists a great deal of controversy over whether the establishment of the Federal Reserve has been good for the people of the United States. Some even argue that it is unconstitutional. Presidents Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln resisted the creation of a Central Bank. The Fed was finally signed into law by Woodrow Wilson, who later regretted it, stating,

I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men…

At the time of the Federal Reserve’s Founding, the Sun was at 01 degree Capricorn, opposed by Pluto at 00 degrees Cancer. If you have been following the current positions of the planets, then you are aware that Pluto entered Capricorn on January 28th of this year and currently sits at 01 degree of that sign. Pluto rules power as well as money not directly under your own control (such as taxes and investments).

As Treasury Secretary Paulson appears before Congress on Monday to ask for increased powers for the Federal Reserve, Pluto will be stationing (appearing to stand still in the sky) exactly conjunct the Fed’s natal Sun and opposite it’s natal Pluto as it prepares to go retrograde on the 2nd of April. The energy of a planet as it stations is said to be greatly magnified.

As Pluto turns retrograde it will slip back into the sign of Sagittarius, remaining there from June 14th through November 26th. The hallmarks of Sagittarius are optimism and expansion. Pluto’s initial entry into that sign in 1995 coincided with a rally in the financial markets. Combined with the ability to make trades over the internet, the nature of investing was forever transformed (another Plutonian effect.)

With the intense Pluto in Capricorn somberness that now colors the financial outlook for the US, it appears that the Treasury Department and The Federal Reserve are seeking to benefit from the current Pluto station and its upcoming foray back into Sagittarius by presenting the Fed as the only entity that can stem the rising tide of financial uncertainty.

If Treasury Secretary Paulson is successful in his bid to grant greater oversight of the US financial markets to the Federal Reserve, it will result in an unprecedented concentration of power, giving enormous control over US financial markets to a non-government entity whose decisions are not subject to approval by Congress or even the President himself.

On the other hand, Pluto’s transits may bring to light hidden information that will prompt profound changes in how the US handle its resources.

As Robert Gover, author of Time And Money: The Economy And The Planets, points out in his insightful article on Pluto and the Fed,

It has been found by astrologers that Pluto has to do with changes that are at first hidden, unknown, not yet manifested into our material reality.

No matter how this transformation manifests, and it’s still too early to know, we are surely about to witness an intense struggle for economic control.

Technorati Tags: subprime mortgage crisis, Federal Reserve, Henry Paulson, Pluto in Capricorn, economy

Shadow and Substance (http://shadowandsubstance.com/) has some lovely animations and illustrations of tonight’s full moon in Virgo and lunar eclipse.

Technorati Tags: full moon, Virgo, lunar eclipse

The word that seems to be most closely associated with Senator Hillary Clinton is Polarizing. According to Lanny Davis, writing in The Hill’s Pundit Blog, a Google search on “Hillary Clinton” and the word “polarizing” returns 1,260,000 hits, far more than you would get if you paired that word with the name of any of other presidential candidate.

A look at Hillary Clinton’s palm goes a long way in explaining why people either love her or hate her.

Take a look at Hillary’s hands in this photo. Her right palm clearly shows two horizontal creases, a head line and a heart line. Her left hand, however, has only a single crease across the palm.

In the following diagram, the palm on the left shows a typical hand with clearly defined head and heart lines. If you look at your own palm, there is a 98% chance that your hand looks something like that first diagram. The palm on the right shows a single crease, known in both medical and palmistry circles as the Simian Crease.

The Simian Crease was named after the single transverse crease found in the palms of apes and monkeys. It is commonly found in the hands of people who have Down’s Syndrome or other genetic abnormalities. (Please note that I will not publish any comments that include juvenile remarks about Senator Clinton and monkeys or disabled persons, so don’t even try it!)

However, there are a small number of people who are born with the single transverse crease (statistically, less than 3%) who are genetically normal. For these people, the Simian Crease is a sign that they are intellectually gifted.

In the language of the hand, the Simian Crease is a fusing of the head and heart lines, and as such, a fusing of the thinking and feeling functions. It is usually the thinking function that dominates. Persons with the crease in one or both hands possess single-minded focus and inner intensity. Because of this, they often feel misunderstood. It is only when these persons learn to slow down a little and become aware of their differing communication style that the gift can emerge.

As can be seen in this closeup, Hillary Clinton doesn’t have a classic Simian Crease. It does not extend the full width of her palm. She also has a partial head line extension that curves downward into her Mound of the Moon. However, there is clearly a fusing of the head and heart lines. (See diagram below).

The single crease in Senator Clinton’s hand may explain why she has been saddled with the reputation of being divisive. People with this gift can appear driven and may experience the world as more black and white than the average soul. Add to that an ultra long index finger which shows powerful ambition, and you can easily understand why Hillary hating has taken on a cult-like fervor.

Does this mean that Hillary Clinton has no heart? Other factors in her palm clearly indicate that she does.

Sitting above Hillary’s merged Head/Heart Line is a clearly etched curve known as the Girdle of Venus. Often referred to as a sister line to the Heart Line, the Girdle is a marker of sensitivity and heightened awareness of life’s subtleties.

With such a distinct Girdle in her palm, Senator Clinton not only feels, she feels deeply. When combined with a merged Head/Heart Line, the challenge of finding positive ways to communicate her feelings becomes even more complicated.

A vertical curve appears on the outer edge of Senator Clinton’s palm, adding to the overall challenge. This line has traditionally been called a Line of Clairvoyance, but it doesn’t necessarily indicate psychic ability as much as it does life Wisdom with a capital W. This line is a mark of right-brain driven knowledge, the kind that develops when life experience is combined with deep introspection, and it is another marker of giftedness.

It’s clear that there’s more to Senator Clinton than meets the eye. Perhaps the public was given a tiny glimpse of the “real” Hillary Clinton when she got teary eyed at a New Hampshire press conference.

In the end, her focused and driven Simian Crease won out and she was able to quickly regain her composure. The pundits are divided on whether this helped her campaign or hurt it.

Does Hillary Clinton’s palm indicate whether she would make a good president? It’s a mixed bag.

Her gifts of insight, empathy, focus and passion are clearly etched in her palm, but she seems unable to integrate her softer side into her public persona. The lack of a clear fate line confirms the difficulty she faces in allowing her true gifts to shine. Like many women in positions of power, she is criticized for being too masculine, but not allowed to be at all feminine.

Hillary’s thumbs (will power and the ability to make things happen) are weak. She holds them too close to her palm for true take charge success, and their tips are looking a bit flat, a sign that she may be exhausted. (Tears, anyone?)

No one, male or female, should have to contend with the level of vitriol that has been directed at Senator Clinton. As the first serious woman candidate for president, Hillary Clinton has taken on a pioneering role, and with it a heap of psychic and emotional abuse.

Perhaps it is part of her karma to change the way the US looks at strong women. But in order to stop being seen as polarizing, Hillary must integrate her own polarly opposite strengths and allow all of herself to show up on the campaign trail.

(Many thanks to Nathan for letting me use his excellent photo of Hillary Clinton for this analysis. You can see his other fine photos here.)

Technorati Tags: Hillary Clinton, presidential candidate, Simian Crease, gifted, divisive, Hillary hating, Girdle of Venus, Wisdom, Tears, Polarizing, Hand Analysis, Palmistry, Karma, Life Purpose

Dennis Kucinich can’t get no respect. First he was excluded from from a December 13th Democratic debate in Iowa, then he was not allowed to participate in the ABC sponsored debate in New Hampshire. In both cases, the sponsors of the debates claimed that Kucinich had not met the criteria for consideration as a serious Presidential candidate.

According to his Natal Chart, this is not the first lifetime where Dennis Kucinich has been dismissed as insignificant. (Click chart for larger image.)

Kucinich has natal Saturn in Leo in the 5th house. In terms of the karmic challenge, Saturn represents a fear, weakness or area of limitation from a past life. For Dennis Kucinich, Saturn in Leo represents a past life where his knowledge and leadership skills went unrecognized.

Saturn’s conjunction to Pluto complicates matters for Kucinich, suggesting past life power struggles with those deemed to be in authority.

On the flip side, Saturn conjunct Pluto indicates that Kucinich is here to tear down and transform the existing power structures. But if the media and even his peers won’t give him the time of day, the question is, “How?”

Dennis Kucinich is a very smart man. If we look to his South Node in Sagittarius, we could even say he is wise. Karmically, the person with a Sagittarius South Node has spent many lifetimes in search of truth, so many that he or she no longer has to keep seeking. The pitfall for Kucinich would be in taking himself too seriously. Saturn in the 5th house confirms that development of a sense of humor and a light and playful heart is one of his assignments for this lifetime.

As both an astrologer and a political observer, I believe that Dennis Kucinich is speaking from a place of integrity and higher truth. Having his South Node in the 8th house tells me that his wisdom emanates from a source that is ancient and deep, and that his commitment to that truth is passionate. When you add in the compassion of a 12th house Moon in Pisces, it is difficult to deny that he is the real deal when it comes to his desire to create a better America.

However, it is the North Node that one must follow, no matter how strongly it appears that the South Node skills can be put to good use.

With a Gemini North Node, Dennis Kucinich is being asked to bring his truth down to earth and package it into a format with mass appeal. He is being required to develop the ability to listen, be flexible and meet others halfway.

In his campaign appearances, Dennis Kucinich likes to point out that he is the only candidate with a plan for single-payer universal health care. He tells us that he is the only candidate…

who voted against the war on Iraq and who consistently opposed it. I am the only candidate who sued the President to try to prevent him from going to war without a declaration from Congress. I am the only candidate who will repeal NAFTA and withdraw from the WTO, replacing these agreements that have cost us so many hundreds of thousands of jobs with fair bilateral trade agreements that protect jobs, workers’ rights, human rights, and environmental quality principles…

His list of where he stands apart from the other candidates goes on. He may be just a little too far apart to satisfy his Gemini North Node.

Change is scary. The level of change that Dennis Kucinich is advocating, while not uncalled for in these “interesting” times, is profound and even possibly radical. Radical change is the hallmark of his 8th house South Node. Slow, steady, step-by-step change that preserves a sense of security is what is called for by his 2nd house North Node.

In order to get recognition for his wisdom so that he can successfully bring about change, Kucinich needs to look to his heavily populated 7th house and his Libra Sun. The keywords associated with both are balance, co-operation, give and take, and charm.

Kucinich does not have to change his vision or abandon his principles. But with a karmic set-up like this one, he will find that it is easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar. Or hot sauce. The louder he shouts at his critics, the more stubbornly he asserts his way as the “only” way, the less he will be listened to by those in positions of authority, and the harder it will be for him to truly live his passion.

Technorati Tags: Dennis Kucinich, debates, Presidential candidate, Natal Chart, past life, astrology, karma, Libra

According to Leonard Nimoy, the Vulcan blessing “Live Long and Prosper,” made famous by Mr. Spock on the original Star Trek series, was inspired by the traditional hand gesture of the Kohanim during the Priestly Blessing.

The text of the blessing is as follows:

May the Lord bless you and guard you
May the Lord shine His countenance toward you and be gracious to you
May the Lord lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace

Nimoy describes the process leading to his inspiration on this video. He states that the gesture is said to represent the Hebrew letter Shin, and may have its origins in Kabbalistic teachings. (Thanks to both Michael Rivero and DesertPeace for posts bringing this to my attention.)

On the Tree of Life, Shin is associated with the 31st Path. The Sefer Yetzirah, or Book of Creation, tells us:

The Thirty-first path is named The Continuous Intelligence. Why is it called this? Because it directs the path of sun and moon according to their laws of nature, each one in its proper orbit.

Shin is associated with peace and serenity as well as the natural changes in the yearly cycle. Its number is 300 which, in the system of Gematria, is also the value of the phrase “The Spirit of God.”

In essence, the Vulcan greeting affirms that, while time marches on, the universe maintains its natural rhythms, bestowing peace and order for the inhabitants of the planet.

That is, until the inhabitants of the planet act in ways that are disharmonious with the divine spirit in nature, i.e. polluting on a grand scale, starting wars, etc.

Perhaps, in this time of chaos and uncertainty, we should adopt the greeting of the Vulcans to remind ourselves and each other that we all contain a bit of the divine spark of the Spirit of God.

My wish for you as we begin 2008 is, Live Long and Prosper.

Technorati Tags: Leonard Nimoy, Mr. Spock, Star Trek, Priestly Blessing, Shin, Live Long and Prosper, Kabbalah, Gematria, Ritual

Tonight, as part of the celebration of our second wedding anniversary, my sweet husband and I went to see the Golden Compass.

If you enjoyed The Wizard of Oz, you may wish to give The Golden Compass a spin. It’s a classic “hero’s journey” story that incorporates powerful symbolism that will leave you spellbound for days.

The keen-eyed viewer might even spot a surprising number of similarities between the two movies. Here are some that my hubby, the consummate Wizard of Oz fan, noticed:

Lifeprints: Deciphering Your Life Purpose from Your Fingerprints
by Richard Unger

Much has been written about finding and living a life on purpose, and the last few years have seen the published literature on this topic grow. If you have been searching for your true and unique purpose in life, throw out those other books. Lifeprints is the only one you will need.

Author Richard Unger, founder of the International Institute of Hand Analysis, has devised a revolutionary and reliable method for identification of your true life purpose. Using his method, the answer to the question, “Why am I here?” is right at the tips of your fingers. Literally.

Your fingerprint patterns, unalterable and unchanging since 5 months prior to your birth, are coded in your DNA. Recent scientific research into our genetic makeup has revealed that many personality traits are also hardwired in your DNA. Unger’s Lifeprints method for using the fingerprint patterns to determine which of those traits are driving your search for meaning could not be simpler or more elegant.

Based on more than 25 years of research, Unger lays out his method in terms that are clear and easy to grasp. As simple as identifying which of the four basic fingerprint types you have, how many of each you have, and which fingers they appear on, Unger guides you step-by-step to determination of your unique life purpose. (See my post on “Student ID” for a sneak peak at one part of the equation.)

Unger affirms his technique with examples and stories of real people he has advised using his Lifeprints technique, and he does it with a wise and gentle humor that will ring true with anyone who has traveled the road towards self-awareness.

In addition to the how-to steps, Unger presents an “archetypal language” for understanding what it takes to get on track with your unique life purpose. Not just general advice, Unger offers specific skill requirements, checklists and formulas for the most common life purpose scenarios. He illustrates what it looks like to be living in mastery of your purpose as well how to know if you are still “in training.” In chapter five, Unger guides you in creating your own Life-Fulfillment Formula and provides exercises to help you deepen your understanding. As an added bonus, he includes case studies using the fingerprints of famous figures.

I studied the Lifeprints technique with Richard Unger over 15 years ago and have successfully used it to help hundreds of people in the quest for a meaningful life. With the publication of Lifeprints, Richard’s wit and wisdom is now available for all to experience.

If you’ve ever yearned for an “owner’s manual” for how to get the most out of life, run, don’t walk, to your local bookstore (or click here) to get your copy. Lifeprints is a blueprint for life.

Technorati Tags: Life Purpose, fingerprints, hand analysis, palmistry, Lifeprints, Richard Unger

A recent study conducted at the University of Bath makes the claim that the length of a child’s fingers can be a predictor of SAT performance. Researchers measured the relative lengths of ring and index fingers of 75 seven-year-old children and evaluated them in relation to their SAT scores for math and literacy.

On the average hand, the ring and index fingers are fairly equal in length, with the tops of each reaching to about the halfway point of the upper phalange of the middle finger.

Prior studies on finger length had linked a longer than average ring finger to higher levels of prenatal testosterone exposure. This most recent study examined the difference between the length of the ring and index fingers, revealing that children whose ring fingers are longer than their index fingers consistently scored higher on the math section of the SAT than the on the language skills section. Those children with index fingers that exceeded the length of the ring fingers had higher scores on the literacy skills section of the test.

It was also found that the greater the disparity in length between the ring and index fingers, the greater the difference in scores for the math and literacy sections of the SAT.

My own experience seems to confirm the results of this research. While I did reasonably well on my math SAT, my score for the language skills section was far and away the better of the two. As you can see from this print of my left hand, my index finger is much longer than my ring finger. Based on my SAT scores, I was able to skip the basic English composition course in my first year of college.

If you have a marked difference between your ring and index fingers and you remember how you fared on your SATs, please leave me a comment. I would love to hear from you, whether your own experience supports these findings or contradicts them.

Technorati Tags: SAT scores, finger length, palmistry, hand analysis

On May 15, 2007, the Reverend Jerry Falwell, founder of the Moral Majority, president of Liberty University and popular television evangelist, died unexpectedly after being found unconscious in his office. Often credited with being the first to break the taboo on blending politics with faith, Falwell has repeatedly made headlines with his outrageous statements, making claims that Tinky Winky, the purple Teletubby, was a gay role model and morally damaging to children, and that the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were brought on by the immorality of gays, feminists and pagans.

Jerry Falwell’s natal chart (click thumbnail for larger version) provides real insight into his controversial style. I have seen his time of birth as both 12 noon and 12:01 PM, though I have not seen any references as to the source of that information. There being no real difference between the two, I have run the chart using 12 noon as his time of birth.

From a karmic standpoint, Falwell’s chart tells the tale of a past life of strong opinions and rigid thinking, a lesson on learning to cooperate and a purpose of service for the good of all of humanity.

One of the most important markers in Falwell’s chart is retrograde Saturn in Aquarius which falls in his third house. Natally, a retrograde Saturn indicates that the individual became rigid in their past life and did not grow. With Saturn in the third house, the rigidity would have occured in the areas of thought, opinion and communication style. In Jerry Falwell’s case, this may not be the first life where he was dealing with fundamentalist ways of thinking.

Saturn in Aquarius often denotes a past life where the individual suffered ostracism and rejection, possibly having been outcast from the “tribe” or community. In this life, it shows up as a dislike of freedom and/or fear of being deemed an outsider. Compensation for this fear may manifest as intolerance, dogmatism, and insensitivity to others. These behaviors typically stem from a feeling of not being good enough. Decrying those who are different as being “less than” creates a false sense of self-esteem to cover up the fear.

Saturn’s message is reiterated in the square aspect (challenge) between Jerry Falwell’s Mercury, ruler of the third house, and Uranus, ruler of Aquarius. For Falwell, the task represented by this configuration would have been to develop tact, diplomacy and objectivity. New ideas which may have seemed foreign and frightening at first, if embraced, could have become the vehicle for personal and spiritual growth.

In his small but wisdom-packed book “The War of Art,” Steven Pressfield makes the case for adoption of fundamentalist principles as a reaction to the fear of freedom. He writes that:

…The human being isn’t wired to function as an individual. We’re wired tribally, to act as part of a group… We know what the clan is; how to fit into the band and the tribe. What we don’t know is how to be alone. We don’t know how to be free individuals.

In speaking of those who find the path to individuation too duanting, who find it difficult to be separated from the tribe, Pressfield says:

Fundamentalism is the philisophy of the powerless, the conquered, the displaced and the dispossessed…

The fundamentalist (or, more accurately, the beleaguered individual who comes to embrace fundamentalism) cannot stand freedom. He cannot find his way into the future, so he retreats to the past… He gets back to basics. To fundamentals.

I believe that, in a past life, Jerry Falwell may have indeed made an attempt to break free from dogmatic and insular thinking, but suffered for his choice. Both Chiron in Gemini and Saturn in Aquarius indicate that his ideas were not accepted by those he considered his brothers. With Libra on the 12th house cusp (delineation of karmic theme) and Chiron, the wounded healer, in his 7th house of partnerships and relationships, the pain of separation may have seemed too great to be overcome.

Not knowing how to be alone, Jerry Falwell used his charismatic Sun in Leo to create a movement where he would always be at its center. But being surrounded by hundreds of thousands of followers didn’t seem to be enough to allay his fears. Falwell continued, until the very end of his life, to publicly denounce any and all who didn’t adopt his beliefs or join his camp.

Had he been able to set himself free, Jerry Fallwell could have become a force for peace and brotherhood. Instead, he convinced others to join him in his fear, ultimately alienating more people than he inspired.

Technorati Tags: Jerry Falwell, Tinky Winky, gay, natal chart, karmic, Fundamentalism, freedom, astrology, karma