Astrology Musings: JFK born 102 years ago

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Many articles, volumes, films and TV series have been written about the life, and death, of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy.

So what, in astrological terms, might be deduced from his birth chart – why is he such an icon, even now?

Potential or fate?

I believe astrology is largely about potential, not necessarily fate. There is freedom of choice. But choices have consequences.

When he was born, Libra was on the ascendant. His ruler, Venus, is in Gemini in the 9th house, along with his Gemini Sun nearby.

So in basic terms, this pretty much describes the man and the President we know. The easy charm, the affability. He is intelligent, sociable, diplomatic, approachable, highly inquisitive and able to relate to a wide range of people. Not bad qualities for America’s first TV President.

Diplomacy

This also correlates with his successes in diplomacy, his liking for peace. Examples of this are the creation of the Peace Corps, his seeking of detente with the Soviet Union following the Cuban Missile Crisis, his willingness to try to accommodate all sides most of the time.

And his Sun and Venus in the 9th house indicates the importance of foreign matters and the world at large to him, as a man and a President.

But of course, he was also known as a great speech maker, a prerequisite for any politician who want to go places.

Great Speech Maker

If we look to his Mercury (speaking/communication) it is conjunct Mars in Taurus (the Bull rules the throat) in the 8th house. Jupiter is nearby too and is ruler of his third house of communication.

Here are the strong, optimistic, expansive, yet ultimately practical mental qualities he was noted for, like, for instance, setting America on course for the Moon.

Here also is the powerful, ‘bullish’ voice we have all heard, one of the most distinctive political voices of the last century.

Few Presidents made as many famous speeches in three short years, such as the one in Berlin in 1963. Here too, is his bravery and generosity; from the 8th house he was willing to speak up about difficult policy decisions that might change the security status quo.

Grasp of Detail

This conjunction is trine the Moon in Virgo in the 12th house. This hints at an inner fastidiousness to the nature, that could be put to good use mentally; a great need for, and grasp of, detail. Again, a perfect quality for a successful politician.

So, we can see that underneath the easy charm, there is a practicality and courage too. He wanted to get things done.

Some have said that if he hadn’t gone into politics, he might have become a famous writer. Well, he did write some books, but had he chosen this other career path, I think one can see he might well have been famous for that too.

Saturn is fairly close to the midheaven (career) in Cancer.

Saturn Weighs Heavy

Saturn is not ‘happy’ in Cancer, hinting at potential for emotional struggles, especially positioned quite prominently high up in the chart. This would tend to bring very hard, demanding difficulties and responsibilities that could expose the individual at times.

This is a difficult position for any well known individual, but here we’re looking at the most powerful man in the world.

Had he lived, assuming he would have gone onto a second term, my bet would be that he would have dedicated himself to writing – quite possibly his first love.

copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019

*If you would like a personal astrological report, please contact me at: leoftanner@gmail.com for details.

Happy Birthday – Stevie Wonder

Venus doubles up with Taurus and Libra and puts it out there. A quick look.

There are few more remarkable musicians than Stevie Wonder. A great singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, who infuses his songs with passion and intelligence.

But what might the luminaries say?

Well, to begin, we have a Taurus sun conjunct Mercury closely trine Mars in Virgo. It suggests a very strong singing voice, Taurus, after all, rules the throat and Mars will only add virtuoso power and strength from Virgo.

What is more, here also is a practical (earth), highly dexterous potential, with innate, multi-faceted (Mercury) skills.

There is Libra on the ascendant, like Taurus also ruled by Venus. Amongst other things, Venus is closely associated with music.

Close to the ascending degree we have Neptune. This ‘outer planet’ can provide an air of inspiration, mystique, glamour, attraction when placed so close the the AC, and Libra rising is often noted for its powers of diplomacy and attraction.

The ruling planet, Venus, is in Aries in the 7th house of relationship, the natural house Libra. This combined with an Aries Moon suggests ardent feelings for others – the ‘You’.

Happy Birthday indeed.

http://www.astro.com

Amerigo Vespucci – What’s in a Name?

Portrait_of_Amerigo_Vespucci
By Officially unknown (poss. Cristofano dell’Altissimo) – Uffizi, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18157134

We owe Italy quite a lot really, don’t we?

Pizza, pasta, risotto, fine wine, passion, flair, fashion style, not to mention the Romans (and yes, what did they ever do for us?) to name but a few. These are things our lives would be far less rich without.

Well, some say it was around this day in history, May 10 or 11, when someone else Italian set sail on a voyage to what we now term ‘the New World’, namely Amerigo Vespucci.

Born in Florence in 1454, Vespucci is famous for debunking Columbus’ notion that the West Indies and Brazil were in fact the other side of the world, actually the easternmost parts of Asia.

In other words, he envisioned the new discoveries as a completely new, separate landmass from Asia. Originally termed the New World, what the new continent lacked was a proper name. Step up Amerigo Vespucci once again, whose latinised Christian name reads as ‘Americus’.

It was only a small step from there to someone suggesting that this huge piece of earth should be called after him, but with a feminine ending – America – and why not? Are we still grateful to him and Italy?

PS. Of course, we know now that the Vikings founded what they termed ‘Vinland’ in what is now the north eastern seaboard of North America centuries before Columbus, but that’s another story…

Milly Reynolds’ New Book: ‘The Second Death of Dr Finck’

A new book by Crime Fiction writer, Milly Reynolds, is due out imminently on Kindle.
It is the second book in the Jack Sallt series, a detective based in Norfolk, England, who has a lot of rough edges, getting him into serious scrapes with enemies, colleagues and loved-ones alike:
Two men are found in a beached boat, one dead, one seriously injured, stretching the resources of an already underfunded police force.
Suspended detective inspector, Jack Sallt, is reluctantly rushed back on duty to face his most perplexing and dangerous case yet, where old foes move in the shadows, threatening violence, controlling him with sensual taunts.
In the tense climax, Jack has to face his relentless enemies head on, risking not only his own life but also those of his colleagues and loved ones.

© copyright Milly Reynolds 2012

Poem ‘The Californian’

The Californian

To this day I don’t know for sure
who you were.
You sounded American
and dressed like a Californian,
or that’s how it seemed
to my parochial mind.

I wasn’t used to your friendliness,
being spoken to so kindly
by a complete stranger,
but then, that was the thing —
I felt I knew you.
Why didn’t I ask your name?

The event had brought us together.
Now we waited for the train
to take us back through Cumbria’s
rounded hills, always threatened by rain.
And true to form, despite it being July,
we found ourselves sheltering
in a little cafe, sipping bad coffee
made more palatable with cream.
That’s where I saw you surfing
in my mind’s eye,
feeling that smelting sun sink
beyond an ocean of glass.
We had just enough time
to assess our few days
in the company of a Buddha.
At least that’s what we said, if I recall,
and that we, too, might be Bodhisattvas!
And who’s to say we weren’t right?

Even now, when I play that album,
I keep looking at the picture
of the kind-looking man, all smiles,
with the sweet and beaten guitar.
He still looks an awful lot like you

poem and image © copyright df barker 2012