Ellen Longo's Astrology Blog

Hello, everyone.

Phoenix (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

One of the pleasures of the study of astrology is the constant source of material to investigate.  The news provides an abundance of facts and situations that incite a run to my desk, flipping on the computer, revving up the astrology program, inputting the time, date, name, birthday, or whatever is available, and observing the heavens in action here on earth.  I might read a short biographical sketch, look up the birthday on Wikipedia, and presto, the chart is there to study and learn from.  I might see a movie and come home and look up the actor or the character or the director, print out the chart and peek into a level of investigation which augments and takes me beyond the public information.

This is the fun of it, the joy of a tool which sheds so much light on humans and our ever varied predicaments.

And then there’s the darker side, the side that’s harder to write about, the side that begs for philosophical meaning, whether my studies can provide it or not.  This weekend provided one of these events.

The Arizona multiple-homicide was a shocking story, tearing at all of our hearts I’m sure.  I couldn’t relate it to my partner without falling into tears and her tears followed.

Of course, my astrologer’s mind was not far behind and I focused on Gabrielle Giffords, the Representative from Arizona’s 8^th District who was critically injured in the tragedy.  An astrologer is always looking for the connections between the heavens and the happenings on earth, no matter what form they take, and there is consistently a correlation between them.

Ms. Giffords’ birth date is easy to ascertain, as is the case with most public figures.  Often even the place of birth is listed in an easily-summoned biography.  The time of birth is harder to come by, but there are many major pieces of information that can be gleaned from the birth day alone.

Any astrologer reading this far has probably come to their own hypothesis about the influences affecting Ms. Giffords’ chart at the time of the shooting.  Pluto has to come to mind with its themes of death, violence, societal upheaval, obsession, criminal activity, lack of trust, and betrayal.  On the plus side, Pluto indicates regeneration, birth and rebirth, and shifts in global consciousness.  When people have Pluto prominent in their natal chart, there is a deep knowledge and concern for the whole, and a willingness to sacrifice the personal life in order to support the collective.

Representative Giffords speaking with a military officer in July 2010. (Source:Wikipedia)

Gabrielle Giffords is such a person.  Her Sun, Mercury, Venus, and Saturn are all closely associated with Pluto.  In lay terms this means her essential self, her intellect, her relationships, and her work/career are spent in service to the larger group.  In the best-case scenario, which we can assume after reading the stories that are all over the media, we find a brilliant mind and a devotion to improving the lives of others through government service.  Whether we agree with her politically or not, we must respect and honor the sacrifices she has made to better the lives of her constituents.  But the dark face of Pluto has been there too.  This is not the first time she has been subjected to violence for the stands she has taken.

A look at the transits indicates transiting Pluto opposing her natal Mars.  Now I don’t want to scare anybody:  this is not the only manifestation this transit can take.  Some people live on larger stages than others.  But as I wrote on my Astro4Business blog, everyone with natal chart points from 5 to 9 degrees of any sign, and particularly in Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn, needs to tread carefully these days and keep their eyes and ears open.  Ms. Giffords’ Mars is at 5 degrees of Cancer and her Uranus is at 5 degrees of Libra.

Mars is the planet associated with acts of aggression and when Uranus is stimulated there are often sudden and unpredictable events.  The Pluto transit brought the underbelly of the collective in direct contact with Ms. Giffords’ life.

The silver lining in this, if there is one, is that Pluto’s symbol is the phoenix, the mythical bird which arises from the ashes of what was destroyed in the past.  It is also the snake, which painfully sheds a skin so that a new skin can be revealed.  May it be so for Gabrielle Giffords.

My heartfelt condolences go out to her and to all of the families of those wounded or killed in this terrible tragedy.

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