(Note: if you’re unfamiliar with astrological jargon, you may want to skip my report on patterns in Bradley Manning’s horoscope — I just couldn’t resist checking it out. If you know a bit about astrology, then enjoy — weekend forecast begins in third paragraph below)
While Julian Assange is apparently now free on bail, today marks the 23rd birthday of Bradley Manning, the US Army private accused of releasing classified documents to Wikileaks sometime between November 2009 and May 2010. Manning has been held in solitary confinement since May. Looking at his horoscope — 12/17/87 in Crescent, OK — birth time unknown — I was immediately struck by its intensity. Sun in opinionated Sagittarius, tightly conjunct Mercury and Saturn. OK, that suggests a serious focus, perhaps prone to depression…and a gravitation toward discipline and duty. But wait…add erratic, restless, intensely independent Uranus to this stellium and that gets pretty interesting….especially since the entire stellium is squared by the North Node and opposed by Chiron, the wounded healer. This is potentially powerful stuff. Manning has Moon in Scorpio, suggesting a reigning need to be seen as a person of substance and depth, and also one who is likely concerned with acquiring knowledge as a means of gaining control. This Moon could be conjunct (depending upon birth time) another suggestion of intensity and turbulent emotion: Mars (action) and ruthless Pluto, together in Scorpio. Wow. No surprise that he would gravitate to a career…as an analyst in military intelligence. Meanwhile, sensitive Neptune, planet of transcendence, fantasy, the intangible, the spiritual and the delusional is running wild in the horoscope. Discipline and control conflicted over a desire to move beyond boundaries? Here’s an article about Manning http://thislandpress.com/09/23/2010/private-manning-and-the-making-of-wikileaks-2/
In late 2009 and all through 2010, status quo-disrupting Uranus has been making challenging aspects to Manning’s stellium in Sagittarius, Chiron at 26 Gemini (suggesting a overload of power — the kind that blows circuitry), and the North Node at 27 Pisces (“meetings with unusual people” is how Noel Tyl interprets connections between Uranus and North Node). In early 2011 transiting Pluto will conjoin Neptune in Manning’s horoscope — “enormous intensification of sensory sensitivity; possible loss of frame of reality; subterfuge; possible introduction of drugs or alcohol dysfunctionally.” Hmmm. A recent article in Salon reported that Manning has been given anti-depressants while in solitary confinement — http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/12/14/manning/index.html To be continued…
OK, the forecast: Friday is a day of relative quiet — a welcome break from the Mars-Pluto power and ego struggles many experienced earlier in the week. Saturday is busy — and some of what’s going on then may be felt on Friday. I’m anticipating a day mixed with a desire for beauty and transcendence (note your dreams) and a potential flash of genius or sudden disruption of the status quo, enacted for a stated humanitarian cause. Creative types may thrive on potentially divine inspiration.
Moon goes void for six hours starting at 4:36PM NY time — get your major holiday shopping done before then — purchases made during Moon voids are more likely to be disappointments. Moon enters chatty Gemini at 10:37PM NY time and pretty much coasts through Sunday. Given that Mercury is currently retrograde, much of the chatter we hear then is likely to be idle. See if you can keep from indulging in it.