NewsScope for April 3, 2000

El Milagro

The standoff between the federal government and Elian Gonzalez's Miami relatives grew increasingly defiant last week, as lawyers said they would not turn the boy over to his Cuban father if he came to visit, or if they lost their custody case. Beyond the political dramas widely reported in the press, many Miami Cubans have added a religious element, referring to Elian as "El Milagro," the miracle.

Astrologically, the impending conjunction of Mars and Jupiter in Taurus (which will be exact at 2:41 am EDT, April 6) represents a building tension between inflexible opposing forces. As mentioned last week, the combination of Mars and Jupiter in Taurus represents traditional religions (Jupiter) fighting (Mars) for land (Taurus). The religious, political element is intensified now since the two are also squaring Neptune in Aquarius. Neptune in Aquarius is the dream for liberation, whether political or religious.

Just like Moses was fished out of the water when he was a baby, and later led the Jews to Egypt, Cuban exiles see Elian (born December 6, 1993) as being rescued by God to realize the liberation of Cuba from Castro's 40-year grip. According to the tales circulating in Miami's Little Havana, Elian was protected from sharks by a school of dolphins when he was found by fishermen, even as angels could be seen hovering overhead.

Florida's horoscope (set for March 3, 1845, Tallahassee, Florida, 10:00 am*) reflects the trouble brewing in this state. Florida's Sun in Pisces signifies a state where Northeast snowbirds can escape harsh winters, or Cuban exiles can escape a harsh political environment. At the moment, transiting Pluto  is squaring Florida's Sun, even as it is conjunct Elian's Sun, the miraculous focus of this national, religious, and cultural clash.

The Ring of Fire Erupts

Northern Japan's Mount Usu erupted three more times last Saturday following Friday's initial plume, as officials widened the danger zone to evacuate over 15,000 local residents. A Central Meteorological Agency spokesperson said that, "Volcanic activities are intensifying and even larger eruptions than previous ones are highly likely."

Many astrologers have been expecting major geological developments this month, and especially in May, as seven planets head toward a powerful alignment in the sign of Taurus. The most popular predictions center on powerful earthquakes, but if last week's events are any hint, the more likely manifestation will be dramatically increased volcanic activity.

Unreported in the news media has been the coincidence of volcanoes going off virtually simultaneously around the globe. Europe's largest volcano, Italy's Mt. Etna, exploded last Friday on the same day that Japan's Mt. Usu erupted. Within the last two weeks, a flurry of volcanoes roared to life around Planet Earth, including Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano, Soufriere Hills Volcano in the Caribbean island-nation of Montserrat, Hibshi Mountain in southern Yemen, and Russia's Bezymyanny Volcano located on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

The unfortunate lack of research by many astrologers has led to the false claim that nothing like this May's alignment has been experienced in millennia, with appended doomsday scenarios. In fact, seven planets were aligned in Aquarius on February 5, 1962, and seven and eight planets (counting Chiron) were aligned in Taurus on several occasions in 1881 and 1882. The 1881-82 Taurus alignment has relevance to today's events, since Krakatoa, the most catastrophic volcanic explosion in modern history, went off in 1883.

Houston, We Have a Problem

Officially, Whitney Houston declined to perform during the Academy Awards because she had a sore throat, but rumors abound that Oscar musical director, Burt Bacharach, yanked her after she flubbed her songs during rehearsal. Ms. Houston has had a series of canceled performances over the past few years that has tongues wagging.

Whitney Houston was born to shine brightly with her Sun in magnificent Leo (on August 9, 1963, 8:55 pm, in Newark, New Jersey). Houston looks and acts like a goddess due to the most fortunate planetary combination possible: Venus trine Jupiter in fire signs. This brings admiration, wealth and luck, and is made even more auspicious as part of a grand trine involving her Sun, Moon and Midheaven.

While a fire grand trine tends to accompany suberb creative and flashy talent, Houston's Sun is challenged by an opposition to the harsh taskmaster, Saturn, and a square to escape-prone Neptune. Neptune tends to find comfort and solace in drugs or alcohol. A little-appreciated astrological fact is that those with Sun-Saturn aspects also have a high rate of alcoholism and drug abuse.

Another extremely difficult placement in Houston's horoscope is a Mercury-Pluto conjunction (in her Seventh House of partners and the general public), opposed to Chiron near her Ascendant. This axis describes the mental pressure she must deal with as a star, but especially regarding her husband, Bobby Brown. During 1999, and again all through this year, transiting Pluto is squaring this relationship indicator, promising ongoing problems until something breaks.

*According to the Florida Historical Society, the time was between 10:00 and 11:00 am.