Space, Time, Cassini
I don't normally go to work at 10 p.m. -- work being a cafe called the Wet Fish in West Hampstead where I write most of my columns and watch London go by for hours on end. But last night I did, because a magazine I write for in New York (Upstate House) is moving offices, and word came down from the chief to move things along early this month. So I went and I worked as long as I could; but being its first anniversary, the cafe decided to close early, and at about 11:15 p.m. I packed up my stuff and stepped out onto West End Lane, where I was immediately met by the vision of the nearly-Full Moon rising, just over the buildings, with the street snaking out in front of it.
At that moment a man was walking past and I said, "Hey, check out the Moon." He stopped and turned around and took a look. "Just past full," he said. "About to be full," I said, and offered him a peek at the Full Moon chart, which was still in my hands. He turned out to be an astronomer (from the East Coast) and retired astronomy teacher, not much into astrology, however, but we've yet to have a serious discussion. He also turned out to specialise in eclipses, and had written a book on the subject for the Aug. 11, 1999 event that people here still refer to as "the eclipse" (because everyone saw it). I'll plug his book below; I've had a look and it's a really good scientific run-down on the subject, including diagrams I've been itching to include with my column for years.
The Aug. 11 eclipse was the infamous Grand Cross / Total Solar Eclipse that shook the world in the summer (and fall) of 1999, and was something of a launching point for Planet Waves because I made a huge issue out of it. The issue wasn't the eclipse itself as much as it was the visit of the Cassini Space Probe the following week. Cassini was scheduled to make a near-Earth flyby to "slingshot" the probe off the Earth's gravity field and propel it to Saturn, gaining a lot of speed without consuming additional fuel. This, in turn, was a big deal because Cassini's onboard systems are powered by a battery made of an astonishing 72 pounds of plutonium (called an RTG or radioisotope thermal generator). Astonishing, given that inhaling 1 microgram is all that's necessary to cause lung cancer.
Cassini was launched from Earth on Oct. 15, 1997. Its first destination was Venus, where it made a few orbits to pick up speed, and was then sent back to the Earth to make its August 1999 slingshot manoeuvre, catapulting it off to Saturn.
Had the rocket scientists slipped -- and they do, occasionally -- Cassini could have plunged into the Earth's atmosphere and spread enough plutonium throughout the planet to give 36 billion people lung cancer (that's about five times apiece for each of us). The probe has no heat shields and would have burned up like a meteor, diffusing its contents throughout the biosphere. The launch of the probe was aboard a Titan IV rocket vehicle that has had a lot of problems in the past (about 1 in 20 blows up), so there were actually two opportunities for that plutonium to be released (on Earth; the plutonium will wind up somewhere, probably in the atmosphere of Saturn).
Meantime, a man named Karl Grossman, a journalism professor from the State University of New York and one of my personal heroes, had been making a huge deal about this long before I'd ever heard of it, and had done many exposes on the nuclear space program. The program, Grossman documented in a book called The Wrong Stuff, includes missions using plutonium powered batteries, as well as highly advanced weapons systems capable of killing thousands of people with lasers from space.
All of this falls under the authority of the United States Space Command, which falls under the Air Force. Space, Grossman has shown, is a well-concealed military zone.
Fortunately, Grossman's awareness campaign appears to have convinced mission controllers to increase the distance of the flyby from about 400 miles to about 700 miles, which is reassuring given that the craft was to pass extremely close to Earth at 42,300 miles per hour and at that speed even 700 miles is a close shave. Fortunately, the flyby worked fine. I was thrilled it had been planned for after the eclipse rather than before. I am sure they consulted their astrologers (but obviously not the same ones who work for the current Bush White House).
And now, after its creators risked the life of humanity, Cassini has arrived at Saturn, was slipped by its pilots through an opening in the rings, and was confirmed to be in a stable orbit at 9:12 p.m. PDT Wednesday night. This is the first time a spacecraft has orbited Saturn. All previous missions were flybys. For the next four years, this incredibly sophisticated craft will be the star of the international space program. Let's put it this way. It better be worth it; let's get the show on the road, boys.
No, seriously, I think it will be quite impressive. We're going to learn a lot about Saturn -- and, as it works out, we're also going to learn a lot about Saturn.
Cassini arrives at its destination in a moment of near-anarchy on Earth. Propelled by the childish actions of the United States and United Kingdom, chaos prevails in the Middle East and promises to spread violence to many more places around the world. The U.S. elections are set up for the biggest mess in history, be it due to electoral fraud, ignorance, terrorism, fear or some combination of the above. And hundreds of billions of dollars are being siphoned off of collective resources to rain war and devastation on people and fill the accounts of multinational corporations. This, at a time when we need to be devoting our energy and resources to the environmental problems that oil and wars for oil are only going to make worse.
As scientific instruments send back images from Saturn that would astonish a dog, plus data that will be used for centuries, Saturn becomes one of the most active planets on the world scene in terms of the astrology it creates. We are going to see a LOT about how this planet, now in Cancer, works. For one thing, Saturn is now passing over the natal Sun of George W. Bush, as well as the natal Sun of the United States chart for July 4th, 1776. It may seem interesting that the acting president's birthday (on July 6) falls so close to (one version of) the national anniversary, but this tells us both charts are subject to many of the same transits.
In the case of the acting president's chart, Saturn is also making a square (90-degree meeting) to five of his planets in Libra: Neptune, Chiron, the Moon, Juno and Jupiter -- the last four of these, at this precise moment. To say the utmost minimum, this is a turning point in his life. Saturn's role, in times of chaos, is to set limits and lay out definitions, and it would appear that some limits are about to be set and terms about to be defined.
In perhaps the most significant Saturn news of the season, the Lord of the Rings makes its next opposition to Chiron on Aug. 15. (The first recent one was Sept. 23, 2003 and there will be a total of seven in the current round that goes through June 2006. This is because Saturn and Chiron are moving at similar relative speeds right now.) Aug. 15 is a day to watch.
Appropriately, Chiron in Capricorn is rising in the Cassini orbit chart, which I've cast for the Mission Control Centre in Pasadena, CA at 9:12 p.m. PDT on Wednesday. Saturn, which rules the chart as the ascendant ruler, is in the 6th house of scientific endeavours; the Sun is conjunct Pallas Athene, the asteroid of politics, and is also in that house, as is Mercury. Many planets in Cancer are ruled by the Moon (planets that occupy a sign are said to be ruled by that sign's ruler).
The Moon -- the same one I saw rising last night, talking to astronomer J.P. McEvoy on West End Lane -- makes its appearance in Sagittarius in the 11th house -- the most public house, representing the world community -- situated less than one degree past Pluto! To me this is a reminder of all that Plutonium aboard the space probe and how near it came to the Earth (one of the rulers of the sign Sagittarius).
This was a week of pivotal events and interesting charts. There was the handover of the deed from former Iraq viceroy L. Paul Bremer to the CIA-backed Iraqi leader; Saddam Hussein ceased to be a prisoner of war and now faces the hangman's noose, along with 11 of his former colleagues; and Venus stationed to direct motion in the thick of it all, a key moment in the developing story of the Venus transit of the Sun on June 8.
And the season -- which includes two national political conventions in the United States and the return of the Olympics to Athens, of all places -- has just begun. We will keep you posted.
For the latest in political news and commentary, I highly recommend truthout.org; please click their PayPal link if you dig them. Their free nightly audio is an excellent overview of the day's news in about ten minutes.
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Thinking of You on Judgment Day by Eric Francis
(my original piece on Cassini and the eclipse)Updates at Astronomy Picture of the Day
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/
or http://space.com/
Official Cassini Mission Updates
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
Eclipse by J.P. McEvoy, which explains the physics and astronomy behind eclipses in human terms, is widely available from Amazon.com.
Planet Waves Friday Horoscope
for July 2, 2004
By ERIC FRANCIS COPPOLINO
Aries (March 20-April 19)
Play your luck, but don't push it. In life it is absolutely essential to take risks; failure is generally associated with the failure to dare. That being said, you're about to encounter certain circumstances that cause you to veer one way or the other, and that will change the overall direction you're headed. As the next few weeks progress, I suggest you take all measures to ensure that people you deal with, whether personally or professionally, are absolutely honest. But healthy is important as well. You need to be a careful observer of human nature for the foreseeable future, remembering that you're responsible for acting on whatever you notice.
Taurus (April 19-May 20)
The past is gone and it cannot touch you, but you can watch it like a movie. The thing is that movies are illusions. It would be worthwhile over the next few weeks to consider the differences between your past life, the life you have, and the life you want. They are extraordinarily different and they cannot be made to happen by wishes or whims; they cannot be made to happen at all. But you can go through the process of creating your life, particularly if you are exceptionally careful about what you don't want. I am not here to emphasise the negative; what you want is important, too. It's just a little less important than what you don't want.
Gemini (May 20-June 21)
This has been a challenging few days, and you've probably made note of the power of devoting your energy and attention to certain emotional details, both your own and those of partners. I suggest you continue this policy and make no assumptions. You are in such a sensitive spot right now and you are unusually vulnerable to what other people may be dishing out. But you're also not a sitting target, though it would still be wise to stay out of the line of fire. I strongly suggest you go out of your way to avoid confrontations for the next few days. You can just walk away, if you so choose.
Cancer (June 21-July 22)
Friday's Full Moon in your opposite sign is likely to make certain matters of relationship vividly clear, and as I've been suggesting, you need to think strategically. While it would be inappropriate to presume that anyone in your life has a dark motive, in fact you may be thinking just that. You are in a perfectly good position to take care of yourself in this matter, but you need to think proactively and really get an understanding of what someone is going through. If they are acting in an authoritarian manner, you will need to come up with a way of defusing the situation.
Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
Keep in mind the difference between food and drink, and make sure you eat well these days. In fact as the next few weeks proceed, I suggest you take extra care in all matters involving any form of intoxicant. These include designating a driver or drivers, and also being on the lookout for the effects of substances within and on your relationships. These effects are often subtle, but that doesn't make them any less real. Certain individuals around you may be under an unusual degree of pressure that they are not articulating and may not have even noticed. It's your job to notice.
Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
People who make a habit of control dramas are unlikely to be on a quest for fun, unless of course it is at someone's expense. There is a continuum that has pleasure at one end and power at the other. The more someone skews their reality toward keeping a tight grip on reality, the less they are capable of letting go of their inhibitions and relaxing. I suggest you beware of these tendencies, within and without. That certain people may have had a difficult childhood is no excuse for them to act like children.
Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
Keep your focus on professional matters. Friends and associates may think you're going overboard but what do they really know anyway? More to the point, you're likely to be providing a source of inspiration rather than envy. But be that all as it may, this is an extraordinary moment for you professionally, and you need to be guided by your highest vision. And that should be in no short supply as these days unfold. It may work out that your highest vision is a kind of highest revision. That should work just fine; any true vision evolves with time and experience.
Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
Continuing in the Career Advice Department, the time has arrived to think like a lawyer. Good legal thinking involves fostering creative insights or innovative theories that have their basis in tradition. It is good to start with the most basic, grounded and established ways of approaching a problem or question. Then, branch out. Precedent plays a role, that is, considering what was done in the past, including in situations that seem to have little bearing on the current scenario. All this requires considerable thought and planning, but you will get results.
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 22)
You continue to be in a strong position within a delicate set of negotiations that is approaching a break in deadlock. What the other parties to the discussion may not be recognising is the extent to which you have their best interests in mind. In fact the whole arrangement promises to be mutually beneficial. But to make it happen you will need to proceed with deliberate caution and stick to your plan. The one place you cannot go wrong is in how prepared you have made yourself for every possibility; just keep all those plans handy, and be ready to apply scenario A, B, or C.
Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
Beware of your flight impulse getting the best of you. Once again a partnership scenario is coming to a head, and you seem to be unusually sensitive, even by recent standards. It is worth questioning whether you really want what you think you want. You might, therefore, want to try it out; don't ask the question in the abstract, but rather see if you can put yourself in the situation and get a feeling for it in reality. If the shoe fits, wear it and if not, you won't be barefoot for long.
Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
This is a moment to dream a little, or a little more. I'd propose that you're more the type to plan and understand rather than to let your cares go and imagine what could be. What if you were to forget about what you're supposed to be thinking about and let your own priorities float to the surface of your awareness? You do have a few, and for as dedicated as you are to your personal freedom you are equally dedicated to serving the greater good. Consider, for once, that you have paid your dues. Consider that what you fear is an illusion. Imagine that what you want most is right in front of you.
Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
Though you may be having a crisis of respect, you need not doubt that people see the best in you. You are most subject to your own reproach, and as a Pisces you are all too vulnerable to the ploys of guilt that were sprung on you as a child and way beyond. Generally self-respect is learned internally. However at the moment I suggest you take your lead from the people who look up to you, who depend on you for their stability and who would not have the world without you. They don't feel this way for nothing, and in most cases the feeling is mutual.
