February 2, 2010

iPad Lust: Steve Jobs presented Apple’s long-awaited tablet on Wednesday, January 27. As expected, the reactions have ranged from delight to disdain to disinterest. Techies savaged the iPad as an overgrown iPhone, which it resembles, while journalists who got to play with it were seduced by its speed and sexiness. Do we need another gadget shoehorned in between our smart phones and laptops? Probably not. But Jobs doesn’t rely on our notion of what we need; he trusts his own vision of a future unseen by others. Maybe it’s his Pisces intuition (born with the Sun in this sign on February 24, 1955) or the innovative independence of his Aries Moon. I don’t need no stinking market research. I know what’s best.

I think the iPad will be a major success, even though the astrological evidence is mixed. Jobs revealed the product with the Moon in its cozy home sign Cancer but in opposition to penetrating Pluto and stressfully squared by stingy Saturn. The latter two are astrology’s toughest planets, murderous gang bangers, bad to the bone bankers and general threats to public order. Yet this heavy-handed symbolism is ideal for a paradigm shift, which is what Apple is seeking. Instead of typing and mousing our way through folders and files, the iPad is where fingers meet glass and machines are stroked with intimacy usually reserved for lovers and leather.

Still, if the Moon’s only aspects (angular connections) were with Pluto and Saturn, it’s likely that the iPad would be doomed to a short life and a long painful death. However, generous Jupiter, traditional astrology’s luckiest planet, met Luna with a 120-degree trine, the most desirable of all aspects. This symbolizes great opportunity for growth in the face of overwhelming odds especially when a carefully planned transformation begins to take root.

Steve Jobs has set Apple apart from competitors that have produced low-cost computers with all the aesthetic pizzazz of the engineers who made them. Venus, the planet of beauty, a hallmark of the company’s products, showed up in style for the iPad launch. She was in cutting edge Aquarius on January 27, cuddling up with the Sun and opposing passionate Mars in attention grabbing Leo. Venus-Mars connections are often sexy, evoking desire that has little to do with reason or utility. You may not need an iPad but, as tech journalist Leo Laporte said, you’ll want one.

Co-creating the Future

Rick Levine and I are presenting an exciting seminar on using astrology to live more effectively in these changing times. On March 7 – 13, 2010 we will be teaching in the beautiful colonial town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico for a limited group of attendees. Whether you’re a serious student of astrology, total beginner or seasoned professional, Rick and I promise to enrich, enliven and educate with astrology’s magical language to help you create a brighter future. Go to Heaven and Earth Workshops for details.

As published here on my Tarot.com blog.

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