Part One; Mark Conditt, Serial Bomber

Let me tell you a story . . . about a bizarre twist in the life of a young, hometown boy.  Mark Conditt grew up in the outskirts of Austin, Texas.  His family was deeply religious and he was home schooled by his mother.  He attended a local college, maintained good grades, but left  before graduating.  He joined a local group of former Christian followers who had left behind their religious beliefs and were promoting conservative views typical of the southwest and current times.  Conditt’s adopted atheist views separated him from his family’s deep Christian views.  In spite of this his family continued to support him.  He moved out of his home, buying a house with the help of his father.  Together, they remodeled the house. 

Conditt lived there with two room mates and worked at a semi-conductor manufacturing plant for several years.  As that business grew it restructured its staff.  Conditt was not able to adjust to the new work requirements and was released.  It was also suggested that he was dealing with a gender identity crises, but those assertions have not been fully substantiated or connected to the bombings that followed his dismissal from work. 

Conditt was born June 16, 1994 near Austin, Texas.  His natal chart, set for noon (time unknown) is shown here. 

Ignoring the chart’s angles because of an unknown birth time, we can take note of several interesting patterns in this chart.

• Sun squares Moon; indicative of one who will rebel against the nature of his early family life and seek to establish his own ‘values.
• Venus squares Jupiter; how will he reconcile personal desires and social opportunities? This lack of clarity about where he places himself within social structures so that his personal self is comfortable adds to the Sun-Moon life struggle.
• Uranus conjoins Neptune; Conditt is part of a generation that desires clarity of purpose while feeling lost in their understanding of what is needed or how they might impact local society. The square from the Moon suggests anxiety as he works out ways to clarify a future path that is right for him.  Note that the Sun inconjuncts this pattern, indicating a strain in reaching any good decisions that he is comfortable with.  The end result is most likely a continuing form of dissatisfaction with his life and what the world offers him.

In that period after leaving the semi-conductor plant, Conditt learned to build bombs.  How this would help him find a satisfying life-path is difficult to see.  It would be easier to say that he was planning on striking out at the world around him because he couldn’t find a way to deal with his own inadequacies.  In early March of 2018 he initiated his program of sending package-bombs to various people in the area.   

In order to examine this situation I will employ a t/Moon-n/Sun Return charting method.  This form of charting has the following attributes to recommend it:

1. Due to the Moon’s rate of daily advance, 12 or 13 degrees, the ratio between its movement and the Sun’s movement (13:1) will place the Return chart’s MC within seven degrees of where it would be if we had a know birth time. Everyone born on a given date will have a Moon-to-Sun Return MC within a span of some 7 degrees from a ‘noon’ chart’s Return MC.
2. The t/Moon represents the ebb and flow of change that comes into our life. For each of us, this is different as the Moon moves through chart houses and aspects natal planets unique to our natal chart and Return chart.  The natal Sun represents our adult-developed character, life-style and intentions.  Together, these two powerful luminaries generally shape our life opportunities and challenges in conjunction with the interweaving of other planets and cycles.
3. Because the Return chart’s orientation is keyed to the t/Moon-n/Sun cycle, the natal chart houses will be reoriented relative to their noon-time natal placement. This reorientation, for a ‘timed’ chart, defines the changing nature and ‘present’ challenges to any current Return chart’s two week cycle.  A two week cycle due to the use of a personal ‘new moon’ chart (the t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return) and a personal ‘full moon’ chart (the t/Moon-opposite-n/Sun Return).  The use of this dual cycle is based on the recognition of the significance of the New Moon and Full Moon and their observed influence in our life.

Conditt had a t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return on February 24, 2018, six days before the first bombing incident.  This ‘return’ was placed in the first house of the chart, appropriate for a first of several incidents.  As we examine this Return chart below we will need to ask ourselves, “What is the driving force and direction this chart provides to define his life and actions at this time?”

• With n/Sun in the first house and t/Sun near the MC it would seem that ‘relevance’ was what Conditt was seeking. He wanted his actions (Asc.) to be noticed.  His goal and public image (MC) was important to him.  After his break from his family’s values it seems that his own values needed to be affirmed — even if he found it difficult to define those personal values.
• t/Mars at the Descendant; most simply, he wanted to attack others or he felt that others were attacking him. Remember that he had recently been dismissed from his work place.  Mars could be representing both sides of the ‘attacked or attacking’ role.  In the natal chart, Mars was located on the Moon’s South Node, he felt that he had innate skills and an understanding of how to hit back at others.  n/Pluto conjoining the n/N.Node added an extremist, demolishing element to how he viewed his relationship to others (the nodal axis).
• n/Chiron-n/Asc. at the Return chart’s IC angle; This pattern suggests that he is addressing a personal (Asc.) hurt (Chiron). What, how?  Well, Chiron-Asc.-IC squares n/Black Moon Lilith in the 12th.  BML indicates ‘secrets’ that may be sensed but not fully realized.  Perhaps this relates to the suspicions that he was dealing with a gender-identity crises.
• t/Mercury-n/Saturn-10th house; ‘Careful thinking’ is one generic statement for this pattern.  The practice of studying bomb making and planning how to conduct a serial bombing campaign would also related to these planets being located in the tenth house of career and public image.

There are supportive elements (non-angular planet placements) in this chart.

• n/Mars squares the transiting Moon’s nodal axis; this is a sign of fighting against society. The nodal axis not only relates to our entry into physical life from the spiritual world but it also (in cyclic charts) relates to our associations with other people, both individually and in general.
• The t/Part of Fortune squares n/Mercury; PoF represents chance and change, n/Mercury represents the manner in which we perceive and organize information. Together we can view this pattern as representing a time of mental turmoil and confusion at some level.

Our story tellers says,  “We have a young man with a rebellious attitude and little focus in his life.  He blames his floundering on others, nursing an anger for what has failed him and projecting that anger outward at others.  He settles on a plan for building package-bombs.  These can be shipped to arbitrarily chosen people who represent, for him, those who have ordered lives that are denied to him.  He will be able to sit back and watch his anger play out in the world around him.  At last he has a plan.  We have a story plot.” 

On March 2, 2018, the first bombing occurred, resulting in a death.  The bomb had been delivered in a package, exploding upon being opened.  The diurnally advanced chart (from the Return chart) is shown below.

This is a very powerful chart, all four angles are populated and the t/Moon, t/Sun and t/PoF make strong aspects.

• t/Sun-n/Saturn-MC; This conjunction near the MC angle demands recognition. Authority over one’s public image and goals is a strong statement.
• t/Sun-t/Neptune-MC; Neptune plays many roles; the visionary, the dream, the deception, the ability to be hidden or unseen.  All of this feeds into the path he has chosen.
• n/Sun-Asc.; This n/Sun emphasizes his need to make an impression on others. Both natal and transiting Suns are angular — a doubled-up Sun symbolism.  This day is all about him.
• t/Mars-Desc.; Reaching out, touching others.  Or, attacking others.  Note n/Mars on n/S.Node.; it is as if he had done this before.  It felt natural to him, probably because this had all played out in his mind as he was researching and building bombs.
• n/Chiron-IC angle; (we will ignore the n/Asc. as it is irrelevant for a ‘noon’ or untimed chart. Long-held grudges or views lay at the root of this ‘need to bomb’ someone.
• The fourth house also contains, on this date, t/Moon-conjoining-n/Moon. This “lunar return” suggests a great deal of emotion and reaction is mixed up with the bombing done today.
• The seventh house offers t/Part-of-Fortune-and-t/Saturn opposing n/Mercruy; Some form of revenge or prior cruel-action-by-another seems to be at play here.

With the package-bomb’s explosion, and the resulting death of the recipient, the community-at-large reacted in all of the expected ways.  We will continue with this story in the next posting.

Part Five: The Timing Is All Wrong

Let me tell you a story . . . about a plan that was all wrong from the get-go!  Sometimes the ‘smartest people’ with the ‘best lawyers’ talk themselves into following a stupid plan.  Admittedly there are a number of issues that have to be given priority, but still . . .

The background.  Manafort had been an international ‘deal maker’ for decades, working in the Ukraine and Russia, at times, as well as with other associated states and power brokers.  The U.S. public became aware of him as Donald Trump was clinching the delegate count in the primaries of May and June in 2016.  Trump was facing a desperate last-ditch battle for delegates to win the nomination at the GOP convention.  In came Manafort as Campaign Manager, and presto, the fight seemed to just dissipate.   Strange changes were made to the Republican platform and word of various Russian initiatives began to circulate.  Then, as the campaign got started, Manafort left but the ‘strangeness’ of the campaign’s sensitivity to all things ‘Russian’ continued.

Now, two years later, some that ‘Russian’ stuff is coming into focus.  Trump owes a lot of money to various Russian interests and may be complicit in money laundering using his real estate developments.  Second, the Russians very much want certain legal restraints lifted from them, restraints that hurt their ability to work in certain financial markets or gain overseas capital.  Manafort is tied into all of this intrigue.  The question is, “Is the Trump campaign and the present administration tied directly into this?”

The current situation.  It became ‘breaking news’ on Monday, August 27, 2018 that Manafort’s legal team had approached Special Counsel Mueller to explore a ‘guilty’ plea in the upcoming trial in exchange for leniency in jail time.   To understand the absurdity of this request we have to remember that Manafort and his lawyers had the opportunity, many months ago, to combine the just-completed ‘financial issues’ trial with the upcoming ‘conspiracy and collusion’ trial.  Combining the trials would have made sense for Manafort; the overwhelming documentation evidence of financial fraud and tax evasion would have been mixed in with the shadowy issues of ‘he said, she said’ of connections between individuals in the U.S., Administration and Campaign with various officials overseas connected to Russian interests.   There could be a lot of reasonable doubt in lots of areas.  Complexity could have made plea deals much easier to work out.

Now, the financial fraud and money laundering issues have been settled and guilty verdicts rendered.  The momentum is not with Manaford.  The evidence will be very heavy against him and collaborative sources have been developed.  

With the above screw-ups in planning all laid out, and the situation now being much worse, this becomes the basis for an interesting story.  How will the subject struggle and win against these impossible odds?  Well, we won’t know in the course of this blog.  The trial is set to start Sept. 17, 2018, more than two weeks from now.  But this chapter of the story can be shared.  (Story teller photo from Goggle images).

The first thing I look for in any of these Return and cyclic charts is the presence of a natal angle at one of the chart’s angles.  This chart above is an advanced chart taken from the t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return chart we saw in Part 3.  I have diurnally advanced that chart to August 27th when the above noted news broke.  On this day, Manafort’s plea request was turned down.  Mueller already had everything he needed, so why agree to a plea deal.  The whole strategy was to convict Manafort on the financial issues and obtain a lot of jail time to use as leverage, if and as needed.

• Here we have natal Ascendant at the IC angle of this Advanced chart.  Page 160 of ‘Personal Moon-to-Sun Returns 2’ notes ‘taking a new approach to life, changing your face or reputation.’  This pattern suggests that Manafort wants very much to start things off on a new basis after having suffered a staggering set-back in the first trial.
• t/Mars conjoins n/Jupiter near the MC angle.  Reaching out for a better opportunity.  This pairing, in a natal chart, is called ‘the greedy grabber.’  Here, Manafort is trying to grab something better in a bad situation.
• t/Uranus just above the Ascendant.  I often read such a positions as relating to something that has just passed.  Here, I would tend to say that a great realization has come to late.  The time to deal was much earlier.  
• The same is true of t/Pluto on the 9th house side of the MC.  The time for a power play has passed.  It is too late.
• t/Part of Fortune square n/PoF.  I’ve seen this before.  Chance and change, the keywords for the PoF, has to fight with itself.  It is either too many choices or options being available, or the choice of options is not understood.  Confusion, strife, inadequate efforts are the result.
• There are two angular Jupiters in this chart; n/Jupiter-10th and t/Jupiter-7th.  Normally this would suggest that opportunities and expansion of some sort was in the wind.  But, if we sneek a peek at t/Mercury-n/Pluto making a T-square to n/Moon-opp-t/Jupiter we get the sense that big powers are moving on this political stage and Manafort does not have a commanding role.

So, unless something else develops, this series of blog posts on Paul Manafort will wait until the trial date approaches.  Dave.

 

 

Part Four; End of Trial Summary

august 23, 2018by dave monroe, posted in moon-to-sun returns

In this fourth part of the series on Paul Manafort and his first trial I would like to review and summarize the prediction that the trial might end on August 20th.

The jury asked to stay late that night and not to adjourn at the usual 5:30 PM time.  There was no further announcement and they met again the following morning. That afternoon the jury came back to the court and announced that Manafort had been found guilty on 8 of the 18 charges.  As it turned out, the Jury had been hoping to complete its work that night of the 20th but one juror could not be swayed in her belief that 10 of the 18 accounts were not of sufficient proof to find Manafort guilty.  Those last several hours were used by the other jury members to lay out the information before her, step by step.   She could not be budged in her opinions.

The diurnally Advanced chart for the following morning/day is shown below.

This trial had lots of drama.  Yes, the outcome seemed to be certain; a guilty verdict was likely because of the high level of documentation.  But, the whole investigation by Special Counsel Mueller into ‘russian hacking and collusion’ into the 2016 national election depended upon solid progress.  Anything less would undermine his security against a  hostile GOP-dominated Senate chamber.  (Photo taken from Google images for ‘Story Tellers.’)

The t/Moon had moved from its opposition to the n/Sun to Capricorn in the intervening few days.  It is now in the 10th house of life-goals and public image where it squares the n/Sun in the first.  In Return charts the t/Sun and n/Sun can represent oneself or another who represents an authority. 

Since this t/Moon is in the 10th house I look at the n/Sun and see it and the n/MC being in the first house. I decide that n/Sun represents Manafort personally dealing with the life-choices he made regarding how this trial would be conducted.  I look at the t/Sun and see it in the 6th house conjoining n/Part of Fortune and n/Saturn and see that Sun as playing the role of an authority.   n/PoF represents chance and change while n/Saturn represents the penalties and limitations that he faces.

n/Mercury is near the Ascendant and squares t/Saturn in the 10th house.  The news will not be good.  Note that n/MC is in the first house between Venus and Mars.  Perhaps we will choose to see this as those on the jury who saw him as charged while others saw him as be valuable, pleasing, and not associated with the bad acts that had been documented.

t/Part of Fortune must always be looked at even if not angular.  Here, it has just passed over n/Asc.; one must experience chance and change on this date.

SUMMARY.  This chart is strong in itself.  I picked the chart of that was one day earlier.  That chart is similar to this one.  So, I will settle for being one day off.  Dave.

Part 3: All Bad Things Must Come To An End . . . Or Not!

august 11, 2018by dave monroe, posted in moon-to-sun returns, political subjects

Let Me Tell You A Story . . . about a trial based on extensive documents and many witness statements that seemed doomed for the defendant from the beginning.

Paul Manafort is the first indicted person in the Special Counsel’s list of many indictees to come to trial in his investigation of Russian influence in the 2016 national elections of the U.S.  Let us take a look at his t/Moon-opposite-n/Sun Return for August 14, 2018.  This is for ‘next’ Tuesday, several days from now and will cover the following two weeks.  We will be looking for key dates in this cycle for when Manafort may be found guilty or be sentenced. 

This is not a striking chart in any way.  There are no closely angular planets.  t/Moon-t/Venus in the 7th opposes the n/Sun — far from the angles.  So, what do we do with such a chart?  We diurnally Advance it, day-by-day to see what will come to the angles.  This chart represents the final stages of the presentation of evidence and the summation by the prosecutor and the defense lawyers that is expected early next week, possibly on Monday, more likely on Tuesday the 14th which is the date of this chart. 

No one likes a story that starts with a whimper.  Astrologers would not tell a client, “you have a quiet chart here, there is nothing to worry about.”  Every storyteller has to find a point of tension, a challenge around which to organize his story.  Reading a chart is like that — every chart has issues that are contained within it, no two weeks (the length of a Moon’s half-cycle) are likely to not bring up a tension point.  By advancing the chart diurnally we can find those tension points which are often near the angles.

The process is to ‘step forward’ a day at a time and find any dates that seem more compelling and active.  The first date I found that was highly active was Aug. 20th, a Monday.  One would expect, that if the jury was sequestered, they would be eager to reach a verdict on a Friday so they could resume their normal lives.  Yet, this is the active chart for that Monday.

• 
• t/Neptune is just above the Asc.; lies and deception are now a personal burden for him — the claims he made are no longer valid to others.  t/Sun conjoins the n/PoF; the ‘area of sensitivity to changes’ (n/PoF).
• Here we have the vertical axis active with t/Moon-MC and n/Uranus-IC; suggesting that Manafort receives an emotional shock regarding his career and public image. 
• t/PoF conjoins his n/Asc.;  he is personally upset on this day.
• In the 7th house, not closely angular, t/Venus conjoins n/Neptune; his values and self-assurance is undermined, the dream dissolves before him due to the wishes or actions of others (the Jury?).

So, this is one date.  Another interesting date comes in the following week, August 26th, 2018.

This chart and date is interesting due to the following patterns.

• t/Saturn-MC; career, life-style, public image will be curtailed on this date.
• n/Uranus-IC; this planet of inner-change and surprises, opposite Saturn, points to a change in the status-quo brought about by others (the opposition pattern).
• t/Chiron-Asc.-n/Mercury-n/Venus opposite t/PoF-Desc.; this complex pattern shows that past issues have been opened up (t/Chiron-Asc.).  This affects him personally (n/Mercury-n/Venus-Asc.).  He blames the changes in his life on others (t/PoF-Desc.).

We might take note of supportive (non-angular placements) patterns such as t/Sun-semi-square (45 degrees) t/Venus, t/Sun-sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) t/)Pluto.   The Sun-Venus pattern involves Manafort’s love of creature comforts and self-esteem, the Sun-Pluto pattern involves his sense of being involved in power=struggles that have overwhelmed him — a reversal of his normal exercising power plays that affect others and benefit him.  

We need to think, as astrologers, about the timing of these charts and what context they may fit into for Paul Manafort.  1)  The actual trial can be expected to complete the presentation of evidence and testimony by Aug. 14th, the date of this Return chart.  2)  The summation of the two side’s lawyers may take only a single day, as the judge favors moving things along quickly and will not tolerate lengthy and verbose presentations.  That should mean the Jury will be instructed on how to conduct their deliberations on Tuesday or Wednesday, Thursday at the latest (the 16th of August, a Thursday).  3) The chart for the 20th, the following Monday, could represent the Jury reaching a verdict.  t/Moon over the MC would be consistent with that along with t/PoF-n/Asc..   4)  If so, the chart for the 26th could be a sentencing date.  Since the 26th is a Sunday we have to accept that the earlier Friday or the later Monday would be chosen.  Again, this is an example of ‘context.’  The judge will not work outside of the normal court-is-in-session dates.  We’ll see.  

These dates don’t fit my sense of how the trial phases should flow, but they do show the flow of astrological data.  So, I will go with these, and will watch and comment on this third posting as events unfold.  Right or wrong, we will learn from the early forecast of possible events.  Dave.  

Part Two: Witness Tampering and Revoked Bail.

august 6, 2018by dave monroe, posted in moon-to-sun returns, political subjects, uncategorized

Let me tell you a story . . . about witness tampering and revoked bail — and, it’s off to jail you go, Paul.  Paul Manafort was a bad boy following his arrest by the FBI and the home confinement ordered by the judge.  He decided to smooth out some wrinkles in the evidence against him by approaching a couple of the likely witnesses against him in the upcoming trial.  He wanted them to change their testimony.   The FBI and judge quickly found out about this initiative of Manafort.  Before going further with this simple story, let us look at a t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return prior to this matter.  The Return occurred on June 8, 2018.  The chart is shown below.

 

Angular planets, for this t/Moon-to-n/Sun Return and the Moon-Sun position in this chart are evaluated as follows:

• t/Moon-to-n/Sun occurs very close to the Desc. angle.  If we treat this as a 7th house focus for the Return chart, then relationships and reaching out to others is an important part of this upcoming two week cycle.
• t/Pluto-IC suggests irrevocable changes are in store for Manafort.  Basic issues are being revised.  This t/Pluto squares the n/Nodal axis; the way of dealing with established relationships will be undertaken.  Depending upon something old in new circumstances indicates a lack of adaptation to new circumstances.
• t/Venus-MC area; spreading the charm, seeking agreement and common sense of values
• t/Sun (not angular, but always important in this charting method) squares t/Neptune.  Remember n/Sun opposing n/Neptune.  Laboring under a long-held delusion of how to manage people, Manafort reaches out to others and does not read the situation well.  His covert attempts to manipulate the truth fall short and runs into difficulties at some point in this two week period.
• t/PoF conjoins n/Pluto and opposes t/Mars;  Manipulation runs into a buzzsaw.  Pluto deals with social norms and upsets to culture while Mars is much more personal.  What happens when the fly-swatter comes up against a tornado?  This is the lesson of this period for Manafort.

Two components of this chart stand out:  Neptune at the Ascendant and Pluto at the IC.  A story teller will take the basics of these two powerful symbols and use them.  As astrologers, we should do the same.  Neptune-Asc. is ‘personal deceit.’  Pluto-IC is ‘ending or initiating a power grab.’  What more of a clue would an astrologer need to put this chart’s story on the table as the basis of his consultation with a client? 

Persuading witnesses to alter their story is always tricky.  Just what words of their prior testimony can be changed?  How comfortable are they in carrying out this subterfuge?  What can they promise in return?  While the desire of the defendant is easily imagined, the problems for the witness can be of great magnitude.   How will changes in one’s prior statements be made?  What responsive pressure will then be applied?  What if the changes don’t work out, what are the penalties they will then endure?  Why should the face fines or jail time?

Let us look at a Advanced chart for June 18th, 2018, just a few weeks ago.

In the ten days since the Return chart of June 8th, the MC has move nine degrees.  Let us look at the angular planets, t/Moon, t/PoF, t/Sun.

• n/Jupiter-IC, square n/N.Node; legalities and opportunities (Jupiter) are placed into a new context due to the impact of another person (n/N.Node-Desc.)
• t/Venus-t/N.Node-10th house; the favor and support of another person has a bearing on Manafort’s status on this date.  
• The ‘doubling up’ of the N.Nodes, natal and transiting, at the angles suggest that associates in this indictment-awaiting-trial situation are going to make a statement and decision on this date.
• Of the non-angular players (t/Sun, t/Moon, t/PoF) we can note the following;  t/Sun conjoins n/Uranus; Manafort’s intentions come up to an inflection point of no return.  t/Moon squares n/Chiron; past situations are not well received or adjusted to.  And, t/PoF squares t/Chiron and opposes t/Sun-n/Uranus.  This sets off all kinds of smoke bombs.  What are the hidden issues that need to be addressed?  What authoritative (Sun) issues will provoke a change (Uranus)?

Finding out about Manafort’s alleged attempts to tamper with the witnesses, the Judge chastised Manafort’s behavior, citing his disregard for the law, untrustful behavior.   His house arrest was terminated and he was sent to jail where his actions could be more closely controlled.  

The interpretive points noted above, when placed into the context of his life and his actions are quite clear.  Jupiter-Node points ot legal involvement, Venus-Node points to reaching out to others, the doubling up of the Nodal symbols highlights the impact of others (prosecution, judge, friends, witnesses) on what happens in his life, and the influence of the t/Moon, t/Sun and t/PoF as supportive players in this story all make the chart reading simple and clear. 

 

 

Part One: Paul Manafort, International Middleman

august 6, 2018by dave monroe, posted in moon-to-sun returns, political subjects, uncategorized

 

Let me tell you a story . . . about a man who moved in international circles, facilitated deals between parties, and profited greatly from his work.

Paul Manafort is a U.S. citizen who has cultivated close ties with influential people in Russia, the Ukraine, and among other countries where banking practices are less stringent.  He was a lobbyist, consultant and political operative.  Prior to 2016, Manafort was quite wealthy, making some 60 million per year.  Then, it all dried up.  Sanctions imposed by the Obama administration had hit Russian and other oligarchs deeply.  Deals were no longer plentiful to find or to create.  Donald Trump’s activities had also depended upon Russia-and-friends for loans.  The activities of both Manafort and Trump suggested money laundering was part of their extensive interactions with Russian, Ukraine and other bankers.

Paul Manafort was born in New Britain, CT, on April 1, 1949.  The birth time is not known.   We will pick up on his story in October, 2017, illustrating that story thru the use of transiting Moon to natal Sun Returns and diurnally Advanced daily charts.  Use will be made of t/Moon-to-n/Sun Returns and t/Moon-opposite-n/Sun Returns — these charts will provide us with a two week cycle of daily charts.

Why use Moon-to-Sun Returns?  The transiting Moon represents continuing change, upsets, rhythm and changes in that rhythm, emotions, reactions, fears and feelings.  The natal Sun represents our established (through life’s experiences) way of seeing life, making decisions, our life style and developed character.  Bringing the two into a charting method such as Moon-to-Sun Returns permits us follow the daily flow of life for a person, to see what unbalances life and what might be available to again find balance while dealing with events, decisions, intrusions and actions.  In time, the reader will be able to find essays in the menu section of this blog.

We will look first at his natal chart relocated to Washington, D.C.

Of immediate note is the grouping around the Sun; Black Moon Lilith, Mars, Venus and (a little distant) Mercury.  Whenever these natal or transiting planets come to the angle of a Return or daily-Advanced chart, they will activate this natal influence.  We can say of this grouping that Manafort will be charming (Mars and Venus) and likely to perceive the undercurrents (BML) in any opportunity (Sun).  With Mercury trailing this group, Mercury (the mind and perceptions) will pick up on, and adapt, this unusual perceptiveness.  Jupiter squares the nodal axis, gains will have to be wrestled away from those he associates with.  (The Mars-Sun pair will help in this, as will the Mars-Venus pairing).   Sun opposes Neptune, concepts may well involve imagination and deception in whatever areas of life they are applied to.   The Sun’s trine to Ceres-Pluto suggests a dependency on naturally using political power to attain material gains.  One other pairing needs notice; Part of Fortune and Saturn.  Because this is an untimed chart we cannot count on this pair having any significance; the PoF may not be aspecting Saturn.  

On Oct. 18, 2017, Manafort had a t/Moon-opposite-n/Sun Return, natal Sun being found at 11 Aries in the 4th house, the Moon being in the opposite 10th house at 11 Libra.  That chart is shown below.

So, this is where our story really starts.  Prior to this U.S. news had extensively covered Manafort’s volunteering to be Donald Trump’s campaign manager in his run for the U.S. Presidency.  The discovery of the campaign’s entanglement with Russian efforts to affect the U.S. electoral process led to a deep investigation into Manafort’s activities and finances.  Special Counsel Robert Mueller convened a Grand Jury and presented his findings to them.  This led to indicitments.  This Return chart occurred just prior to his indictment and arrest by the FBI.

As this is the first t/Moon-opp-n/Sun Return offered on this blog site, I will go into greater detail in interpreting this chart.  Our first step is to note angular planets.

• Natal Sun in the 4th, opposed by t/Moon in the 10th suggests that underlying issues in Manafort’s life, resources and home will be a focus.  The full moon in the 10th (opposing the n/Sun) will shed clarity or open up public matters that reflect on his resources.  This statement will be a ‘theme’ for all the daily charts that follow through this two week cycle.
• transiting Mars (t/Mars  inner wheel) is at the MC angle.  Manafort’s career and life status will be attacked.  He will need to defend and counter-attack during the next many days.
• t/Mars opposes t/Chiron and n/Mercury at the IC angle; past and hidden issues (Chiron) and writings, records and commerce (Mercury) will be the focus of the attacks-investigation into Manafort’s life.
• n/Chiron-Asc. doubles-up the emphasis on t/Chiron-IC.  Doubled up planets call our attention, act as an emphasis on what the chart is telling us.  Past and hidden issues need to be examined.  (Note that we are nuancing Chiron’s broad interpretive meanings here to fit the context of what is happening in Manafort’s life at this time).

These ‘angular’ observations, in themselves, tell us the primary story of Manafort’s life at this point in time once we know the context.  If this had been the story of a young teen-aged boy in early high school, we might have surmised that he engaged in a fight (Mars) on the school grounds over some private-hidden issue (Chiron) that he had tweeted about (Mercury).  We adjust our chart reading to the person, to the age, to the circumstance in life, and to the context of what he has been doing.

Now, in addition to focusing on the angular planets, we have to also recognize the t/Sun, t/Moon and t/Part of Fortune.  These are inherent components that define the Moon-to-Sun Return charting concepts.

• t/Sun opposes n/N.Node; Manafort’s intentions are to opposes the direction of his associates and others that he comes in contact with.  He will not admit to or comply with and admission of guilt or involvement.  (Indeed, as the newspapers tell us, he is fighting the large amount of evidence against him, both paper trails and testimony).
• t/Moon has already been addressed.  t/Part of Fortune (t/PoF) is in the 12th house, squaring n/Saturn.  (Remember, in this case we are not giving attention to the n/PoF because of the unknown chart time).  Rules, strategy, limitations are all fighting against or causing the changes that are popping up in his private life.

Having gotten an astrological overview of what to expect in the coming two weeks, we can examine any of the 13 to 15 daily charts that can be found by diurnally advancing the Return chart.  We will look specifically at the Advanced chart for Oct. 30th, 2017.  Note that the calculated chart time of 11h 14m 36s AM is identical to the Return chart’s calculated time.  All we have done is change the date and let the many planets and angles reposition themselves accordingly.

• In the 12 days since the Return chart, the MC has advanced 13 degrees, closing on n/Neptune.  The IC angle conjoins n/Sun.  t/Saturn-t/Black Moon Lilith (BML) are at the Asc.  We will start to interpret this daily Advanced chart using these components.
• n/Neptune-MC points to both deception and confusion.  Uncertainty will reign on this date.  With t/Neptune in the 3rd, the uncertainty will relate to messages and words in some form.
• n/Sun-IC points to his life-long established life-style will be subject to change.  Wit t/Sun at the cusp of the 11th, these changes may relate to his activities in the larger community.  (In his case this larger community may be the whole international community).
• t/Saturn-t/BML at the Ascendant defines what Manafort will be facing today; limitations related to long-held dark-inner issues.  This pair forms a trine aspect to n/Saturn which squares n/Chiron.  This can be loosely interpreted in many ways suggesting unsavory conditions being involved.
• Moving on to the t/Moon we find it opposite n/Saturn;  hard facts will reveal themselves.  t/PoF conjoins (today) t/Uranus, opposes t/Venus; sudden changes will impact one’s self-esteem and outer charm and poise.

Having now examined the chart’s astrological features, let us see how the actual story played out.  Special Counsel, investigating the possible intrusion by Russia into the Trump campaign, had uncovered many issues relating to Manafort and Russian contacts, loans and business dealings.  A Grand Jury had issued indictments which the FBI served on this date.  The FBI arrested Manafort on this date.

Saturn-Asc. often is found in arrest charts, as is Saturn-IC and Saturn-MC.  t/Sun-IC always seems to point to a major change in how daily life is conducted.  And t/PoF in any angular house or in strong aspect to any planet, natal or transiting, always points to ‘chance or change’ of some sort.  The ‘news’ media immediately foresaw the expected trial and further discoveries of evidence to have a major impact on the Special Counsel’s investigation into the Trump Campaign’s Russian ties.

In future posts the further events stemming from this arrest and an impending trial will be examined.  Dave.

 

 

 

 

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