A Day Without An Octomom Update Is Like A Day Without Sunshine (Or Maybe A Day Without Diaper Rash)

The Amazing Surprise Economic Turnaround Astrology Experiment continues! Click here to read more, and to join in!

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Sorry for the delay with Part Two of my Octomom series... I thought I was on a roll analyzing her birth chart, only to realize that every single new observation I made was based on house placements... which are almost certainly wrong in the chart I was looking at, which was for a noon birth. As of yet no official time of birth seems to be a matter of public record. The funny thing is... I didn't really stop to think about it until signs of her being a responsible parent began to show up.

As reported by TMZ.com, the domestic fitness of the Suleman residence has been questioned before, with no less than six child-related visits by the police in the last year... not counting two visits recently to shoo away the horde of reporters perpetually hovering around the house of late.

...and the octuplets haven't even moved in yet.

When I looked at the birth charts of Nadya's first six kids, I tried to steer the attention away from Mom and towards the individual kids. It turns out that may have been the right approach to take. Although I initially avoided too much discussion of Nadya's own birth chart because there wasn't a time of birth available, and the Wikipedia article on her still insists that her date of birth is, citing her divorce papers as a source... although I've squinted myself half to death staring at them and still don't see a date of birth for Nadya (Natalie?) Suleman-Doud-Gutierrez in there.

So although I believe the July 11 birth date is the correct one, I'll be cautious. And I'll keep fishing around for a time of birth for her.

In the meantime, try a delicious sample of choice reruns...

My Dinner With Taurus

Reality TV, By Sun Sign

How To Seduce A Taurus Man: An Illustrated Guide

Basically, everything you need to know is illustrated right here:

A well-fed Taurus is a happy Taurus, and a happy Taurus will naturally be curious to see your new undies... and what you keep in them.

Don't you love simple, straight-forward astrology?

Now, today's choice reruns:

Goldilocks And The Twelve Signs: The Pisces Guide To Compatibility

Is Your Astrologer Smarter Than A Monkey?

You'll find all my new stuff -- and maybe your soul mate -- at Astrologydating.com! Drop by and have a look...

Nadya Suleman And Her Children, Part One: The Superfluous Six

This is the first of two blog entries about Nadya "Octomom" Suleman and her fourteen children. For those of you who don't have the time or patience for detailed astrological analysis, I present a brief astrological joke:

An Aries walks into a bar. You got a problem with that, pal?

Now, the analysis. For those of you who want to play along at home, complete birth data for Nadya and the kids is here.

If you want to see what a person's relationship with their parents is like in a birth chart, there are three places to start: the 4th House and 10th House (and the planets ruling them) and aspects from the mother's chart to the child's Moon. It might be a mistake in any individual case to read too much into any one placement or aspect, but Nadya Suleman gave us enough babies that we could start noticing some patterns... even before the octuplets. Since we don't have a time of birth for Nadya, I'm going to toss out any aspects to or from her natal Moon, which is somewhere in Leo (a noon birth would put the moon at 24 degrees).

Elijah:

4th/10 rulers: Mercury and Pluto

Elijah's chart has a debilitated Venus in Aries as the ruler of the Third House... speech and communications. That, plus a retrograde Neptune in the 12th near the Ascendant, and Mercury conjunct a debilitated Jupiter in Gemini (both closely opposed by Pluto) makes him the most likely candidate to be the "mildly autistic" child with a speech problem.

Mercury opposes Pluto, conjunct Jupiter, no other major aspects. Pluto is trined by Venus in Aries (debilitated). Surprisingly, no planets in Nadya's chart make any significant aspects at all to either Elijah's 4th or 10th rulers.

Nadya's Mars sextiles his moon, her Venus opposes it, and her Neptune squares it. Also noteworthy: Elijah has a prominent Moon-Saturn square.

Amerah:

4th/10 rulers: Moon and Saturn

Moon is trine the Sun and sextile the Midheaven, but is squared by Mercury and Pluto, which oppose each other and are conjunct the Nodal Axis. Saturn is conjunct Mercury, and thus is square Saturn, opposed by Pluto. So: some difficult 4/10 issues there.

As with Elijah, Mom's Venus weakly opposes Amerah's Moon, Mars gives a weak sextile, and Neptune squares it.

Joshua:

4th/10th rulers: Venus and Mars

Joshua has an interesting Venus: at 27 degrees Leo, it is conjunct both the natal Sun and Jupiter within a degree, which is pretty powerful. Also noteworthy: that pile-up is in the first house, and is not aspected by anything else in the birth chart. Combine this with Uranus and Mars at 1 and 7 degrees Pisces (conjunct the older siblings Moons, so undoubtedly they get on each others nerves a lot) in the 8th House, and it paints a very interesting picture of the parent-child relationship. Powerful? Yes. Stable? Nope.

The natal Moon at 1 degree Gemini only gets two aspects from Mom's chart: a conjunction with the South, a square from Venus, and a weak opposition from Mom's Neptune.

Aidan:

4th/10th rulers: Venus and Pluto

Aidan has a strong Venus at 22 Pisces, conjunct the Sun (which is iffy) and trine Saturn (which is solid, but Saturn is debilitated in Cancer). Unfortunately for Aidan, that fairly strong Venus is closely squared... by Pluto in the 12th House.

Natal Moon at 10 Gemini only receives two major aspects in the birth chart... a weak trine from Neptune in the 1st House, and a tighter square from Uranus at 7 degrees Pisces (note how that portion of Pisces keeps showing up in these charts). This can often result in digestive/dietary problems (a common issue with autistic children) and combined with a third house ruled by a void of course Mars in Capricorn, makes Aidan my educated guess to be the second autistic child of the lot.

How does Nadya's chart interact with Aidan's moon? One major aspect only... her Neptune opposes his moon.

Finally (whew!)... Calyssa and Caleb, born two minutes apart:

4th/10th rulers: Venus and Pluto.

At first glance, Venus and Pluto look strong in these charts. Venus is in Libra and Pluto is trine Saturn. But they do square each other... weakly, but it's there.

Also: I'm going to break one of my own rules about generalizing too much based on a single placement. These children have a 12th House void of course Moon in Capricorn receiving no aspects other than a square from Mercury, and is ruled by a debilitated Saturn in Leo. If that isn't a strong astrological signature for depression, I don't know what is.

...And speaking of depression, there are only two major aspects from Mom's chart to the twin's Moon -- an opposition from Mom's Sun and Saturn in Cancer (Saturn within five degrees, the Sun weak at almost ten degrees), and a close square from Mom's natal Uranus. All of which is very... depressing.

Ouch.

In all fairness, it would be wrong to look at any single mother/child astrological comparison and declare it to be a "bad" relationship based on one or two difficult factors. Lots of people have good mothers who still get on their nerves, and lots have difficult maternal relations with no immediately obvious reason. But when you have six charts to look at (or fourteen in this case) and you see the same sorts of things over and over again... it's hard not to leap to some less-than-flattering conclusions about the mother.

Coming soon: we'll have a look to see if throwing an additional eight babies into the mix helps things or not.

The Amazing Surprise Economic Turnaround Astrology Experiment continues... and there's something in it for you! Click here to read more, and to join in!

Aries Woman Lays The Smackdown On Gemini Man

Today's choice reruns:

Continuing the Compatibility series, here's They're Off And Running! The Sagittarius Guide To Compatibility.

Second: if you are an Aries woman, you've undoubtedly read all about how you and Gemini are compatible. Here, courtesy of the BBC miniseries "Jekyll," is a practical guide to how the typical Aries woman can keep a Gemini man focused and attentive.

A warning: as with all such relationships in real life... there's plenty of swearing.

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You'll find all my new stuff -- and maybe your soul mate -- at Astrologydating.com! Drop by and have a look...

Economics: Saturn And Uranus Separate The Wheat From Donald Trump's Chaff

First, today's choice reruns... um, I mean, "MTA Classics!"

True Tales Of Teen Heartbreak: The Libra Guide To Compatibility

CSI: Romance - The Scorpio Guide To Compatibility

Second, a word on the current "economic crisis":

Donald Trump's (born June 14, 1946, 9:51 AM, Queens, New York) three Atlantic City casinos are filing for bankruptcy. And what's more... this is the third time his casinos have filed for bankruptcy. That's right: the third time. Anyone who knows anything about probability and statistics will tell you that it takes a special kind of short-sightedness for a casino to go broke even once. But three times?

Transiting Saturn and Uranus have been squaring Donald Trump's natal Sun, North Node, and Uranus for some time now, so in some ways we should probably be mildly surprised things haven't been worse. The Sun is the ruler of his Ascendant (public image), and Uranus is the ruler of Trump's Seventh House, so I'm willing to bet things stink on the domestic front for him of late as well. Wait... is Donald Trump married this week? I can never keep track.

Donald Trump is, in many ways, the living symbol of how Western Capitalism has operated for the last 20 years. For those of you without a degree in Economics, let me save you a couple of years worth of studying:

1) Find a farmer who's in economic trouble.
2) Wait until he's desperate and buy his cow at a discount.
3) Grind the cow into hot dogs
4) Stamp your brand name on the hot dogs and resell them for ten times the price per pound of an actual cow.
5) Retire and/or get fired, take a huge "golden parachute" settlement, and skip town before the salmonella and malnutrition breaks out.

About ten percent of the United States GDP is in Banking and Economic Services. In other words, one tenth of the beans go to bean counters, who eat half and then plant the other half. And the last few years the banks have overeaten, and planted what was left over in the sand. Much of the rest of the economy is a matter of buying and reselling, and nothing of real value is actually produced. The bean counters have done well by it, though.

Of course, you and I are stuck cleaning up the mess. We can't get angry with Trump and Company any more than we can truly be angry with the rabbits who discovered a biological niche and spread all over Australia. Australia, of course, has a different opinion on the matter.

So, in light of current trends and fears (which I don't think will turn out as badly as many think), I've tinkered with my own price structure. I am now making detailed six-month personal economic and romantic forecasts available at a discount... all of the detail of a regular full-blown consultation, but focused on the area you need it most. Write me for more details.

And I'll put my track record up against Donald Trump's, or any economists, any day.

You'll find all my new stuff -- and maybe your soul mate -- at Astrologydating.com! Drop by and have a look...

Classic MTA - The Virgo Guide To Compatibility, Within A Tolerance Of ±0.2 Millimeters

INITIAL CONDITIONS:

Humans are driven by biosocial factors to pair-bonding. Further, the efficiency of each bond ("compatibility") is variable with each individual involved, in part due to personality-based initial conditions ("Sun Sign"). Virgo attempts to place this within a rational context and draw accurate conclusions.

HYPOTHESIS:

Virgo can find true love within the confines of an imperfect world. Based on broad personality data gathered by Sun Sign. it is projected that the relative probability of success in a pair-bond can thus be projected on an a priori basis. Each potential partner is evaluated on a scale of 0 to 1 as a function of probable incidence of harmony (on a per incidence basis).

DATA:

Taurus and Capricorn (0.8/1): Perform well under stress; high tensile shear resistance. Partner malleability is occasionally impaired when reconfiguration is required. Reconfiguration will likely be proposed based on their data set, not yours. With practice, excellent subject conformity to relationship guidelines.

Cancer and Scorpio (0.75/1): Both require some cleaning. Generally sound emotional depth, but both filter their data via emotional factors more than Virgo, and can be resistant to probing. Hardened shells may be difficult to open, but can reward the effort. Emotional slipperiness can occur. Wear rubber gloves.

Pisces (0.7): Highly sensitive to contamination, like yourself. Highly suggestible, unlike yourself. A lack of detail and definition can be frustrating to the researcher; however, emotional appeal can be highly catalytic. A great deal of net-casting is often needed to collect accurate emotional data.

Sagittarius and Virgo (0.65/1): Both signs demonstrate a sympathetic knowledge for further life data, but are likely to use entirely different experimental models than the researcher, making for potential translation problems. Theoretically shouldn't work, but often does anyway. This requires further research.

Aries and Aquarius (0.6/1): Difficult, volatile substances which come with certain containment hazards. One is highly explosive, the other is often too neutral to form a reaction. However, once proper procedures are in place, this can (paradoxically) make long term bonding possible. Not what you expected... but possible.

Leo and Libra (0.5/1): Constantly changing emotional states lead to initial exhilaration, often followed by exhaustion on the researcher's part. Lack of stability is made up for by shininess and willingness. Outcome of experiment difficult to predict, therefore the researcher may wish for more stable materials to work with.

Gemini (0.4/1): Comparable to positronium, an exotic matter-antimatter combination. Appealing as a potential source of tremendous energy, but likely to become explosively unstable under extensive probing. Wear safety goggles.

CONCLUSION:

Nothing in life is perfect, not even Love. Nonetheless, this knowledge does not make the issue go away. It is recommended that Virgos collect further data and reach their own conclusions in this regard.

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An Astrologer's Karma Runs Over A Skeptic's Dogma

First of all, I urge you to take nine and a half minutes out of your life to watch this video:

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My comments:

0:45 - Vedic astrology is "far more accurate." I don't want to start any brawls here between Western and Vedic Astrologers (they can do that fine on their own, thank you). But, speaking as someone who uses both Western and Vedic techniques, I understand where the occasional smugness of the Vedic crowd comes from. It's downright spooky the stuff a decent Vedic astrologer can spot in a birth chart.

Having said that: I think the biggest (and most accurate) criticisms of Western Astrology that the jyotishis have is based on...

0:59 "I got out of astrology because I realized that what I was really doing was practicing psychology without a license."

Bingo. One of my biggest problems with how astrology is practiced... particularly of the Western variety... is that it's more psychology than astrology. My own educational background is in psychology, so I'm not knocking that. And of course, as an astrologer, I'm not knocking astrology. The problem with a lot of astrological consultations is that psychology is a vital part of a consultation, and too many are practicing it without a decent grasp of psychology and counseling techniques.

Of course, my own background may bias my opinion. And God knows there are plenty of valid criticisms of modern psychology. How many Universities have a Department of Psychology? And is there a consistently effective treatment for chronic depression out there yet? Say what you will about astrology, it stands up nicely to Freudian or Behavioral or Humanistic views of how the mind works... without nearly the same amount of research funding.

Put another way: if you stopped being an astrologer because you realized that you were "practicing psychology without a license," the problem isn't astrology... it's that you aren't a psychologist. Regardless of one's level of astrological skill, mucking about with people's thoughts and feelings and past and future demands a lot of knowledge, wisdom, and self-discipline. If you haven't got that... please, find another job.

1:45 "This is a woman who probably plucks her eyebrows." Well, um... duh. We're told this woman is a business executive, so maintaining a crisp, clean appearance is going to be important. But the point here is that if I doubt she'd say "wow" to this observation unless (left to their own devices) her brows really were on the bushy side. And honestly... anyone who thinks this astrologer could "bond" with a woman over pointing out her bushy eyebrows obviously knows very little about women... let alone astrology or psychology.

Besides... whether they "bonded" or not... the astrologer was right.

3:05-9:28 - As a lawyer would say, res ipsa loquitur... "the thing speaks for itself." A cumulative result of 77% effectiveness? Booyah!

Pick any currently available antidepressant... each one the result of years of scientific research and millions of dollars of laboratory time... and you tell me if it works 77% percent of the time. Go ahead, look it up. I dare you.

Now... where's MY lab coat, tenure, and corner office, dammit?

And finally... thanks to both Michael Schermer for allowing this to surface in the first place... and to Jeffrey Armstrong, for kicking ass.