Author: Joan Porte

Happy Birthday Mrs. Obama

I know I have done a riff on her chart before but several people asked me to review Michelle Obama’s chart for her fiftieth birthday.

While she is a “late” Capricorn Sun person, you know how boring I find Sun energy astrology so let’s look at her rising sign.  Ah! Another it is another earth sign! Mrs. Obama’s rising sign (also called ascendant) is in Taurus. Symbolized by the Bull, Taurus is steady, stubborn with a kiss elegance of Venus. Because Venus rules her ascendant, it is the ruling planet of her chart.


Venus appears up in her 11th house – the house of social and group activities – and is zero degrees Pisces and right on her Pisces Moon. Now, I wonder what artistic ability the first lady might be hiding from us.  Venus in Pisces is a classic sign of someone with some kind of musical, artistic, etc. talent. Perhaps hers expresses in her fashion sense and her elegance but who knows – we might be seeing some other kind of artistry coming from her someday.  (She has two retrogrades in her 5thhouse – the house of creativity so it may take a while but it is there!)

Venus on the Moon in the deeply caring sign of Pisces expresses when we see her hugging people and meaning it. She does not give political hugs or handshakes! Her concern and her love of people comes innately.  I look for her to continue to work with groups of people long after she is out of the White House.

Full “Moonth” in Cancer January 15

“Every ‘Moonth’ the Moon travels around the Earth through the whole circle of the sky. The Moon’s Old English name was Mona from that name we acquired the word ‘month.” The Old Lady’s walkabout was 29 ½ days. If you have the patience to watch her journey night after night in a single month you will see that the road she travel is the same one she traveled last month and she will be found there the next and the next and the one after that. As she walks the Road in the Sky she stops to visit friends and family, i.e., she meets up with the stars that live alongside the Road. Her visits are brief for she has a long way to go – clear around the sky – so she must hurry on.”
I love that quote from Wendy Ashley’s “Paleoskies.”  Wendy is an astro-anthropologist who watches the planets (from the word wanderer) make their seemingly endless journey around the skies. She is part of wonderful movement to bring us back to the sky – to make us remember what is going on in the universe as we busy ourselves with our “important” Earthly work.
This week, on Jan. 15, the Moon will have “walked” furthest away from the Sun – and thus we will have a “Full Moon.” Freed from the Sun’s brilliance the Moon shows us her full light. This Full Moon will be in Cancer. The Sun is in the opposite sign of Capricorn. This is a typical Mommy – Daddy battle. Cancer is the sign of the nurturer – vibrates to the fourth house -typical assigned to Mother, home and roots. Capricorn is the taskmaster – the uber-father. 
This is a perfect time to work on the balance between how you are nurturing themselves – and others – and how much you are being too hard on yourself or others. I always say Capricorn is where we “should” all over ourselves. “I should be doing this – I should be doing that – I am not good enough.” Cancer is the active but nurturing Mom that offers us that other cup of tea to relax.

So at this full Moon time think of the balance you are or are not striking between those two in your life. We often forget that we can have the second cup of tea!

“The Heart of Mars” With Adam Gainsburg –

What is your masculine dharma? This has nothing to do with sex or your sexuality. All of us have a feminine and masculine dharma to explore and live. Listen to my interview with Adam Gainsburg founder of Soulsign Astrology as he discusses the “Heart of Mars.”

http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/astrological-cook/

Get Used to Hearing about Pluto and Uranus in 2014
And Keep a Positive Outlook!
The Astrological world is all-abuzz about the big goings on in the sky this year.  Uranus in the cardinal sign of Aries is squaring or in disharmony to Pluto in the cardinal sign of Capricorn. Think of them as two powerful wrestlers in a massive tug-of-war. One is demanding things done his way and quickly (Uranus) and the other saying no my slow way is better (Pluto). Neither will give in. Then a little quick instigator, Mars in another cardinal sign, Libra, zig zags across their path several times during this battle – throwing little jabs, igniting firecrackers just to make things lively. Mars will make this dance from late December to mid-May 2014, including a retrograded period from March – May.
The last time we had such a battle of the big planets was 1932- 1934 and we all know what lovely things occurred like the rise of Hitler. However, I am so not a fan of those who say oh that happened then so horrible things will happen now. Yes, mid-April is going to be a rough time – April (the time when the Sun is in Mars – the warrior) is always opportune for violence (Columbine, the start of the Civil War, the birth of Hitler, to name a few “fun” events.) However, I really do not think this is going to bring in the beginning of the end of the country and economic system. There are predications for nuclear war, another Fukishima, another tsunami – general whoa and horribleness.

Why can’t we use this dynamic energy to bring POSITIVE changes in our lives? Perhaps if we all think about the benefits this can bring to all of us we will negate the naysayers. I mean if we sit around and wait for something awful to happen – we often aren’t surprised! 

New Year’s New Moon

We start 2014 with a New Moon in Capricorn at 6:14 AM Eastern Time. That alone is a powerful kick off to a new year – because the New Moon is a great time for manifestation. This year, however, the sky will be full of even more cardinal energy. There are three kinds of signs, mutable (the easy going sometimes easily coerced signs), fixed (the stubborn ones) and cardinal (the movers and shakers.) Get used to a lot of cardinal energy coming from the sky because this year is going to be anything but dull.
On January 1st, during that Capricorn (cardinal) New Moon, Mars will still be in Libra (cardinal) and  opposite Uranus in Aries (cardinal) and Jupiter will be in Cancer (cardinal) opposing four other bodies in cardinal signs, the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Pluto and retrograded Venus.
Those placements also make for a very combustible square between Mars, Uranus, and Pluto. This is nothing to mess around with – and do not be surprised if you hear of more road rage or violent acts. If people are unaware of how these energies affect them can just feel angry, restless, and ready to strike out. The amount of anxious energy is almost spooky.


For those more aligned with the universe it is a great time to use that power to constructive change. So where do you want to improve? Go beyond the silly New Year’s resolutions and make a pledge to use this energy to make meaningful change in your life. Movement especially in the area of money and our values (Venus) and speaking our truth (Mercury) would be especially beneficial.   Use the energies to your benefit – they are powerful.
Happy New Year – Happy New You.

“Light of Venus” – Interview with Adam Gainsburg

Speaking of Venus – Please during this time of Venus moving inward – check out of interview with Adam Gainsburg as he speaks about his revolutionary way of view this planet – not by sign and house but phase from the Sun. You will think of Astrology in a completely new way!

http://webtalkradio.net/internet-talk-radio/2013/12/23/astrological-cook-light-of-venus/

It could be a Griswald Christmas

I will keep this brief because no one has excess minutes this time of year  – which is so odd because this is the time of year when we should be nesting and go within. When it is darker and colder we are programmed to be inward and more reflective. Oh well, another way we are out of sync with nature!

Venus went into retrograde on the Solstice – bringing her creative and loving energies inward. At the same time, Mars moved into the cardinal (action) sign of Libra. With Venus being less than forceful and Mars in full tilt – let’s just say keep crabby Uncle Sam away from the rest of the family. There is too much energy out there that is unbridled and angry.

I hope the world keeps a lid on the anger through the new year.

Happy Holidays all!

Major Gemini-Sagitarrian Activitiy TODAY!

The question of today is where is Gemini at 27 degrees in your chart?  Let me explain.
Every year at this time, the Sun passes over the Galactic Center – the rotational point of Milky Way. The Center is at 27 degrees Sagittarius – so 27 degrees into the constellation of Sagittarius is the center of the Milky Way.  (The Sun is at 25 degrees Sagittarius now and will be fully at 27 degrees on Thursday.)


Today we are going to experience a full Moon – (when the Sun and Moon are opposing one another in the sky. The Moon is “full” because it is far away from the Sun and its natural light flows uninhibited.  That full Moon is in Gemini at 27 degrees. 

Gemini and Sagittarius share an astrological axis. Gemini is the ruler of our thoughts, the way we communicate. Sagittarius is where we go out into the world and explore to hone our truth and expand our knowledge. Both deal with expressing ourselves. 
This is a perfect Moon placement to expand our perceptions, explore our beliefs, and examine how our mental tapes are running. From now until the Solstice on Saturday, we should be tuning into those energies to help clear out our mental cobwebs, finding, and expressing our truth! 
To help this new mental energy flow even better we finally have Uranus (rebellious, new energy) out of retrograde. It is at station direct – meaning it is sort of appearing to stand still in the sky but it is not heading backwards. Use Uranus – set that goal to be honest with your thoughts and honest with others.

So back to my first question – where is Gemini at 27 degrees in your chart. That is the area where this activation vibrates most for you. For me it is in 9th house – the house of Sagittarius, which happens to be my North Node. Wow, I have no excuse not to pursue and live my truth now. I had better get to work!

The Affordable Care Act

I have had several friends ask me about the horoscope of the Affordable Care Act. The past few months have been a little scary for those of us who believe that one should not go broke because of illness. There was the bad roll out and then the piling on of the radical Right and a clueless media that just loves a dramatic story even if the facts get in the way of their ratings.
I cast a chart for the time President Obama signed the bill into law because that is in essence its “birth.” 
There are many things about this chart I find interesting, even ironic but two of the big items that jump out at me are the 10thand 6th houses.
First, Pallas Athena, the warrior goddess who was also the patron of hospitals and healing (a woman for all occasions I say) is retrograded in the 6th house –the house of health. Note to President Obama, do NOT sign a health care law under this planetary alignment! A retrograde means the energies of that planet are going backwards. So it was almost as if all of Pallas’ good intentions would be thwarted… or at least harder to reach fruition.
In the 10th house, the house of government and the “social consciousness” we have quite a collection of planets.  I can’t take my eyes off the conjunction of Uranus and the Sun. Uranus is rebellious energy – quick starts and stops – just off the charts energy. On the other end of the 10th, we have a Chiron and Neptune conjunction. Neptune is all about lofty spiritual ideals that have a heck of a hard time dealing with the realities of day-to-day living. Chiron is a deep wound issue and in the 10th represents our fears about society accepting us. Both of these bodies are in Aquarius, ruled by that rebel Uranus. Nothing is easy about these placements.
What gives me hope of long-term success is Jupiter, in the sign of Pisces – of compassion and caring for all, shooting up like an arrow in the middle of these conjunctions. Jupiter is the planet of expansion, hope, and understanding – of finding our philosophical truth. America is the last “first-world” country to offer universal health care – the time for us expanding into the rest of civilized society is overdue and helped by Jupiter.
Jupiter will carry the day for the ACA in the long term but the value of this act remains hidden until long into the future.

P.S. If you are into irony take a look at retrograded Saturn (the symbol of the old way – the task master – the people who say you must do things like they always have been done) opposing the Sun/Uranus conjunction. To me it looks like the Right trying to lasso the rebellious, change energy of Sun/Uranus to prevent it from working into society. However, I guess that is what they have been trying to do for five years now!

Happy Birthday Pope Francis

I never thought I would be typing, speaking, or in any way conveying this sentiment but I love this new Pope! This man who is telling Christians to worry about the poor, do not worry if your fellow Man loves men not women and to basically get back to the “fundamentals” of the teachings of the Church is shaking the world. More importantly, he is scaring those who have co-opted Christianity to mean – hate the poor, or anyone who is in any way different from you but war is a great thing!
With his birthday coming up soon I just had to look at this mavericks chart.
The Pope was born Dec 17, 1936 at 9:00 PM in Buenos Aires, Argentina and even a quick glance at his chart shows how sincere he is about his message of brotherhood and compassion.
His North Node, his current life karmic identification is in Sagittarius – that is the sign of expansion – of reaching out to all to find and understand their beliefs.  Sagittarius is by nature encompassing. However, look at the planets surrounding his North Node. Jupiter, the ruler of Sagittarius is on the North Node, intensifying that energy. In addition, he has his Sun, his inner light if you will, with Jupiter – another intensifying placement.
If this weren’t enough Ceres, the planet were we get and give nurturing is next to Jupiter and on the other side of this stellium is Pallas Athena the warrior goodness, who indicates in Astrology, where we take up the cause for the underdog. All of these planets are in his sixth house – the house of day-to-day work.  This is his life’s work – to bring the Sagittarian expansionism – the desire to know and understand what makes everyone tick and to care and nurture everyone. His life’s goal was to find work in which he could nurture, care for and understand all people.
His Venus Moon conjunction in the seventh in Aquarius is interesting because it indicates either someone who is gay or someone who really doesn’t give a hoot who people sleep with. In any case, it shows a very open view toward sexuality.

This has not been an easy path – he has many enemies – Pluto retrograded in the first house, Uranus retrograded in the 10th and Saturn in the eighth. I would caution him never to let his guard down or his security for that matter. There are people who do not like “change” even when it is a return to the true roots of the organization.