Started Job on Void of Course Moon, Oh My!

By Milky Way Maid

In the course of discussing the Royal Wedding earlier this year (please see http://milkywayastrology.wordpress.com/2011/06/15/that-big-fat-royal-wedding-and-whether-william-will-ever-be-king/) I mentioned that I once started a job on a void-of-course (hereinafter referred to as VOC moon) and that it worked out all right.

I finally managed to dig up the start time for that position and here are the pertinent details:

Start of Job, May 15, 2000, 2:30 pm CDT, Milwaukee, WI.
Curiously enough, the Moon was in Libra, not a sign where a VOC moon is favored for some events. Traditionally, the Moon functions OK if the VOC occurs in the signs of the Moon or Jupiter: Cancer, Taurus, Sagittarius, and Pisces.

One major factor in this chart, folks, is that the ascendant happens to be on my natal Jupiter, 21 degrees Virgo. I had forgotten that.

Moon, as I said, is in Libra at 26 degrees and in the second house. Pluto and Chiron are in the third house at 11 and 16 degrees, respectively, of Sagittarius; Pluto is on my natal Saturn. The fifth house is pretty crowded with the South Node (26 degrees Capricorn), Vesta (29 Capricorn), Neptune (6 Aquarius), Uranus (20 Aquarius), Part of Fortune (22 Aquarius) and Juno (22 Aquarius).

The ninth house is also supercharged with Venus at 18 Taurus (very close to my Sun), Jupiter at 19 Taurus (conjunct my Sun), Saturn at 21 Taurus, Sun at 25 Taurus, Mercury strong in Gemini (3 degrees), and Mars at 8 Gemini.

North Node is alone at 26 Cancer in the eleventh house, along with Pallas Athena at 14 Leo. Transpluto, for those who use those points, is at 24 Leo in the twelfth house.

Aspects to natal planets: Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn clustered on my natal Sun, as I mentioned above. Sun near my natal Venus. The Moon is inconjunct the Sun, and therefore also inconjunct my natal Venus.

Critical degrees: North Node at 26 degrees of Cancer is on a critical degree; I think this was an example of my being in the right place at the right time when applying for this job. I had just completed a couple classes in introductory computer and in medical terminology, intending to go on for a diploma in allied health science. However, I had to wait a terribly long time for a practicum to be scheduled, about three months, and there was just no way that I could see how to survive that long without an income. So I applied for a couple jobs and this one opened up.
The Node is at the midpoint of the Ascendant in Virgo, and the Sun-Saturn conjunction in Taurus. It also opposes Vesta, and is sesquiquadrate Pluto in the third house. Pluto in the third is I think reflective of our actual work handling 'paperwork' for an insurance company.

It was extremely helpful to have Mercury in Gemini for this job, which required one to be able to ramp up your production to keep up with paper submissions. I have found thru experience that three degrees of most signs is very positive for me, due to a key natal planet and ascendant at that degree.

Needless to say the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Taurus defined a new era for many people, and with several natal planets in Taurus, it really gave me a jump-start to a materially successful period like nothing I had ever had before. The conjunction squared Uranus, where virtually ALL the work was done on computer and the submissions had been imaged into the system.
The Sun and Moon are inconjunct. Hmmm, have to think about how that was reflected in the job. Well, there were difficulties dealing with other women in the department. Uranus is square the Sun, separating; it was continually stressful for me to deal with the job in general. I just wanted to hole up with my computer and forget the rest of it. The nodes are square the Moon; again, difficult women.

The Midheaven trines both the Moon and Uranus, all in air signs. Oh, this favored the handling of numbers and data and rules about handling different kinds of submissions. We had to calculate payments, line by line, very quickly.

Pluto opposes Mars. Hmmm again. Sounds like a lot of backstabbing and office politics, and there is always that no matter where you go or what kind of business you are in. Mars trines idealistic Neptune, tho, and I like to think that I helped change the attitudes of the girls from a close-mouthed, competitive environment to one where we shared tips freely.
I cannot say that this job was without rough spots. It was hard to work with the first supervisor that we had, who was rather, shall we say, a demanding and sharp-tongued woman. Our group was later transferred to the supervision of a younger woman when our shift was changed (start of new schedule Oct. 2, 2000, 7:30 am); in other words our group was merged with the regular day crew. There was difficulty getting used to the quality control team, who were not always professional about how they pointed out errors or demanded corrections. There were many days in the early going when I thought I would be let go along with others in our training group who did not make the final cuts.

To sum up, I stayed for six years and learned a great deal about the business, about getting used to modern phone networks, emails and other interoffice communications, and about dealing with meetings and updates in procedures. I was not happy being on the day crew, however, since I really did not care for the usual office “stuff” (food days, passing around memos and birthday cards, etc). You would think that with all those planets and asteroids in the fifth house that this would a party-type job, but I cannot think how that could possibly apply to this position.
Well, that's all I can think of right now to tell you about this supposedly disastrous job. It worked out just fine for me and I only left due to personal matters that were pretty much separate from the job or company.

The Obama Inauguration Chart

The day that has seemed inevitable since summer is finally upon us. President-elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office on January 20 as prescribed in the Constitution. Actually the original document set March 4 as the inauguration day, but us modern hurry-up types moved it forward. Looking back, it would be more favorable to have the date in March, as the Sun will trine the election date.

I was not going to write an article on the inauguration, but a fellow astrologer emailed me all aflutter because the chart featured a Mercury retrograde plus a void-of-course Moon. To me, Mercury retrograde signifies trying to undo all the destructive acts and executive orders of the previous occupant of the White House (who shall not be named here). Perhaps we can look forward to this former law professor, Obama, restoring much of the integrity of the original Constitution. As for the Moon being voc, I started one of my better jobs under that aspect, and had to learn to ignore it as one year after another rolled by.

Depending on exactly when Barack Obama takes the actual oath of office Tuesday, the Moon will either be void-of-course in Scorpio or just entering Sagittarius. Even tho Mercury is retrograde, Mercury is strong because it is Cazimi (within 17 minutes of the Sun), both in Aquarius. In the strange reasoning of the ancients, Cazimi is MUCH better than combust (within 8 degrees of the Sun) (combust supposedly weakens the affected planet). Cazimi is a very favorable aspect to have for any enterprise that you want to succeed – assuming of course that there is anything else in the chart to support it. Mercury is also exalted in Aquarius, while unfortunately the Sun is in its detriment in Aquarius. (This is another argument in favor of the March 4 inaugural date.)

The Moon will be sextile the conjunction – if Obama takes the oath at or after 12:30 pm Eastern, the Moon will be Sagittarius, and not void-of-course. (PS – The Moon is in its fall in Scorpio, but unaffected by either detriment, fall, rulership or exaltation in Sagittarius). These planets are applying to aspects to Jupiter at 3 degrees Aquarius, Vesta at 3 degrees Taurus, and Pallas Athena at 4 degrees Gemini.

Pallas Athena in Gemini is a very good placement for her; in Gemini she is very adept and very career-oriented. Placed in the second house of banking, personal finances and income, this would seem to bode well for government management of the nation's fiscal problems.

One major concern, however, is that Venus is at 17 degrees of Pisces (17 degrees 47 minutes, which is rounded up to 18 on the chart graphic) – even tho Venus is exalted in Pisces. Seventeen degrees is a critical degree, which normally very promising for good things to come. But a prominent local astrologer declared that if VENUS hits a critical degree, it means lost money. Venus also happens to represent the dollar itself, so it will be interesting, to say the least, if the US dollar suffers another slide in value on the global exchange rate. Venus is also applying to a conjunction with Uranus, and the two of them oppose Saturn in the fifth house of speculation – and the stock market. Even though historically the stock market has gone up under Democratic presidents (contrary to the “common knowledge”), the Wall Streeters may be bit wary of Obama until they see what he actually proposes to do.

Note that Venus is sextile Mars, which happens to also be in its exaltation in Capricorn.
None of the outer planets are in strong placements for them. Transiting Uranus at 20 Pisces is square the U.S. natal Mars at 20 Gemini. A Mars-Uranus square is never comfortable; Uranus is in the chart's eleventh house of advisors (cabinet?) and Mars in the ninth house of foreign relations and also legal entities, such as possibly the US Supreme Court. Could Obama get in a legal battle with Supreme Court rulings? Could some of his advisors get in legal trouble and have to step down?

Pluto at 2 degrees Capricorn is opposite the US natal Venus at 2 degrees Cancer. Pluto is also in the ninth house, ruling law, publishing, religion and higher education. In the inauguration chart, Pluto is semi-sextile Sun-Mercury, trine Vesta in Taurus, and inconjunct Pallas Athena in Gemini in the second house. I am wondering if Vesta in the twelfth house means folks will go back to hiding their money in mattresses, perhaps to hide it from eighth house taxes.

I have also dug up the chart for George Washington's inauguration: April 30, 1789, 1:04 pm (LMT) in New York City, because some astrologers like to use this chart as a basis for comparison to new presidential charts or to transiting eclipses, etc. The George Washington chart has 2 degrees Virgo on the Ascendant, and 27 Taurus at Midheaven. RE indicators of was in the Washington chart, peaceful Pisces is on the seventh house (house of open enemies, among other things) cusp, a peaceful sign; also both traditional and modern rulers of Pisces (Jupiter and Neptune) are separating from hard aspects to the Ascendant ruler, Mercury.

Obama's inauguration chart has Scorpio on the Descendant. Ruler Mars is sextile Venus, ruler of the Ascendant. Pluto, the modern ruler, is not in any of the classical aspects to Venus. So this is good news for those who voted with the goal of getting someone in who will put an end to the bloodletting in Iraq.

The George Washington inaugural chart sets the tone for all our chief executives. George was sworn in in New York City on April 30, 1789, about 1:04 pm LMT according to a chart published in the 1984 special issue of the NCGR Journal. The chart has 2 degrees Virgo rising and 27 Taurus at the Midheaven. I do not have LMT on my program, so I had to jigger the time to get that ascendant degree.

Comparing the two charts yields these contacts: Obama Sun-Mercury opposes the GW Uranus in Leo. Obama Moon conjuncts the GW North Node in Scorpio. Obama Venus trines the GW Moon in Cancer. Obama Jupiter squares GW Venus in Taurus. Obama Saturn opposes GW Saturn, and Obama Uranus conjuncts GW Saturn. Obama Neptune sextiles GW Mercury. Obama Pluto trines GW Venus in Taurus.

The Moon contacts express the public's hope wish or hope that Obama will move the country forward towards its destiny (North Node) again, and that he will uphold the underlying American values (Venus). I suspect that the Pluto to Venus contact presages some revamping (Pluto) of the the nation's banking or financial system, and that the Jupiter square to Venus merely reflects the serious economic situation we face. Sun-Mercury should denote the inspiration (Uranus) he gives in his speeches and just by his positive demeanor.

It is interesting that the current Saturn-Uranus opposition ties into the GW Saturn; again, this reflects the serious problems we face and possibly a real change in the structures (Saturn) of our government and/or of our society. Mercury-Neptune contacts generally mean fuzzy or confused thinking; this may merely indicate that he will not get into too many specifics in the inaugural address, but stick to expressing ideals (Neptune) in an effort to inspire and soothe (Neptune) the American people.

In addition, Obama's Vesta is conjunct the GW Venus at 2-3 degrees Taurus, and Obama's Ceres at 13 degrees Virgo is inconjunct the GW Mars in Aries. I think that these reinforce his intention to deal with the monetary or fiscal crisis in this country and the matter of winding down the war in Iraq.

One could go on and play around with progressions to the GW or to Obama's birth chart, or add a ring for Obama's natal planets. I have to keep this article to a reasonable length. But I give you the data and charts for the inaugurals so that the more advanced readership can play with them.
Best wishes to all Americans and hoping for better times ahead.