NewsScope for February 24, 2009

Bank of America on the Edge

Last week Bank of America's stock fell to $3/share, a breath-taking plummet from its $40 price only four months ago. BofA, like Citicorp, is becoming known as a zombie bank—kept alive only by TARP funds. Today's Bank of America is the result of many acquisitions and mergers, but still operates under Federal Charter 13044 granted to the Bank of Italy on March 1, 1927.

A horoscope for this date (set for noon, San Francisco, CA) features the Sun conjunct Jupiter in Pisces, and reflects BofA's fundamental expansionist nature, though the square to Saturn regularly brings contractions. The Sun-Jupiter is also trine Pluto, further explaining BofA's huge corporate ambitions. Since Pluto is exactly conjunct the U.S. Sun, BofA has done quite well, becoming the largest retail bank in the country.

BofA became the mammoth it is today when NationsBank acquired BofA on September 30, 1998. At the time, BofA had a progressed Mars-Pluto conjunction, which describes the aggressive, predatory deal that was publicly billed as a merger. Then, BofA purchased Merrill Lynch and all its toxic assets on September 15, 2008 just as transiting Pluto was squaring BofA's Mercury-Uranus conjunction, marking the beginning of BofA's decline.

BofA's Neptune at 25º Leo is exactly opposite the U.S. Moon, further associating its corporate dream with the American public. As transiting Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune cluster together around 25º Aquarius over the next few months, BofA's viability will become a major concern for the economic recovery*. BofA's progressed Venus is nearing a conjunction with natal Pluto, which looks like a vast infusion of cash arriving in about 18 months.

Top Five Astro-Events for March

1. Venus turns retrograde on the 6th. Traditionally, this six-week phase is unfavorable for starting new relationships or getting married. Women who take charge now will find their efforts backfire or fail completely. Venus makes a prolonged opposition to the U.S. Saturn from the 1st to 11th, creating financial headaches for many U.S. institutions.

2. Uranus opposing the U.S. Neptune on March 9 may bring some new political and financial scandals. Watch for sudden disruptions in foreign relations, especially in Tehran and the Afghan-Pakistani border region. And the American Dream—symbolized by Neptune—is bursting, along with the illusion of an unregulated free market system as the best way to organize society.

3. The Full Moon on March 10 aligns with the ongoing Saturn-Uranus opposition. Any underlying conflict between new programs and more conservative plans reaches a peak. Those with natal planets in this degree area (17º-23º of the mutable signs) are under the most pressure to make radical changes in their lives and to find the balance between consolidation and innovation.

4. Jupiter enters the U.S. Fourth House on March 17, and will remain there over the next year. This connection brings some opportunities during a widespread economic downturn, especially for those who can network with friends and allies. Also, the U.S. progressed Moon sextile the U.S. Jupiter on the 27th brings assistance to some of the nation's largest financial corporations.

5. Neptune conjunct the U.S. Moon on March 27 marks the first wave of uncertainty and fear surrounding the mortgage crisis and high unemployment rates. Neptune passes back and forth over the U.S. Moon through November 2010 while accompanied by Chiron, undoubtedly bringing much pain and suffering to those who can least afford it.

Jay Leno Shakes up Late Night TV

Last Friday Conan O'Brien hosted his last "Late Night" show, and packed up his bags to move to L.A. On June 1 he'll take over the "Tonight Show" which is currently hosted by Jay Leno. Since Leno's show has been doing so well, NBC execs moved him to 10 pm—a bold, risky move with an uncertain outcome. How well can Leno compete in prime time?

Jay Leno was born (April 28, 1950; 2:03 am; New Rochelle, NY) with his Taurus Sun trine a Moon-Saturn conjunction in Virgo. This very practical combination also speaks to his strong work ethic and his attention to details. Jupiter in Pisces is rising and trine Uranus, the ruler of his chart, giving him the expansive personality of a showman and accounting for his tremendous popularity.

Leno's Mars at 22º Virgo only adds to his craftsmanship. Mars opposes Venus and squares Chiron, leading to unusual insights about painful, embarrassing, or simply amusing sexual interactions that have become the mainstay of his late night jokes. This Mars is in the same locations as Obama's Mars, which similarly is under developmental stress by an opposition from transiting Uranus.

Last week a Harris poll named Leno America's favorite TV personality. Celestially coinciding with this honor is a conjunction between his progressed Ascendant and Venus, the planet associated with popularity. NBC announced Leno's coming prime time show on December 8, when transiting Neptune was conjunct his Aquarius Ascendant. Following Neptune's symbolism, that left a lot of doubt. However, this coming October 12, Jupiter turns direct near his Ascendant, which would be a great time to launch his new show.

*For more financial astrology, see NeptuneCafe's Business Front Page. Advanced astrologers or those with decent astrology software will note that BofA's progressed Mercury is entering the natal Mars-Saturn opposition. Note that BofA's progressed Mercury is entering the natal Mars-Saturn opposition, which corresponds to the BofA getting the so-called "stress test" over the next month.

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