Spiritual Company Newsletter

By Steffan Vanel • Astrologer • Tarot  Reader

Author of: The Astrological Karma of the USA
And: Charles & Diana: The Inside Story:
An Astrological-Karmic View

Dear Friends and Clients,

First I would like to make some announcements.

On October 6th at 6PM Pacific Coast Time I will begin to broadcast a once a month internet-based radio show: "Astrology Plus with Steffan Vanel" on the www.worldpuja.org network.

Here is the mission statement from the show:

Astrology Plus with Steffan Vanel

Formerly a guest on World Puja, Steffan Vanel has now been invited to share his profound Astrological insights into global and national current events and personalities on the first Monday of each month here on the World Puja Network.

Steffan Vanel is the author of the highly acclaimed book:  The Astrological Karma of the USA, and has continued to be an inspiring voice, bringing deeper awareness of what is really going on in the 'Bigger Picture' of life on this planet, notably through articles published on his website: www.spiritualcompany.com.

Steffan, it is to be noted, is especially gifted at sharing the knowledge of Astrology in concepts all can understand.

This show is entitled 'Astrology Plus' because, in the second half of the show, Steffan will branch out to share insights and wisdom gleaned from his forty years of metaphysical, spiritual and psychological study and exploration.

An additional announcement I have to make is that I will be making a tour with my lecture:

The Method to the Madness: Astrological Insights into the Candidates, the Nation, and the World in 2008 and Beyond.

I will be making appearances in Portland, OR, Corvallis, OR, Paradise,CA, Sacramento, Mountain View, CA, San Rafael, CA, Austin, TX, and Ashland, OR.

You can look on my schedule page for specific dates, venues, and to set up private readings with me while I'm visiting these areas.

The Astrological Barack Obama —
The Dark Knight

Many of you have been asking me for my promised Astrological observations on Barack Obama. I apologize for taking this long to produce this newsletter. Besides being rather busy these past months, I've been feeling both inspired and apprehensive to write something about Barack Obama.

Inspired because of the hope and possibility that he really could make it into the Presidency, and could guide this nation into a totally new course. Apprehensive, because, no matter who runs for President, we are going to end up with a mere mortal, a mortal with human failings, lessons and karma.

An interpretation of an Astrological birthchart, especially, with the Astrological Karmic insights provided by the Ascended Master Hilarion, is the tool par excellence to see those failings, lessons and karma.

My apprehension arises because I am hesitant to do anything to diminish the hope.

As stated in my newsletters about Hillary Clinton and John McCain, this newsletter on Obama will also focus on the main components of his chart, components which would clearly affect his role as President. After November 4th, assuming we have a newly elected president at that point, I will be preparing a new lecture and newsletter: The New President: Astrological Insights: 2009-2013, which will entail a much more in-depth personal investigation of the Astrological Karma of our new President and the times ahead.

Barack Obama is a Leo. He thinks he is an Aquarius. He pretends he is a Scorpio. And in his childhood, he had to be a Gemini, in a manner of speaking.

Those of you familiar with my work know that the Sun in a birth chart represents who you really are, your Soul essence. The Ascendant or Rising Sign shows the way you see yourself. The Midheaven shows the way you present yourself to the world. And the Moon, and aspects to the Moon, reveal influences brought to bear upon you in childhood.

Aquarius rising is quite interesting in contemplating Obama. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus. In earlier newsletters this year I mentioned that there is an opposition occurring this year between Uranus and Saturn, becoming exact on November 4th, also known as Election Day. I have paraphrased the significance of this opposition as Responsibility vs. Freedom.

Saturn represents commitment, responsibility, authority, structure, and the conventional. Uranus represents the unconventional, freedom from old patterns that have outlived their purpose, sudden change out of the blue, openness to the unusual and different.

So we can expect some tension and conflict between these kinds of energies. This conflict is easily recognizable in the contest between John McCain, who would represent Saturn, and Barack Obama who would represent Uranus.

What is always needed when faced with a planetary opposition, however, whether on a collective level, or within your own individual birthchart, is a healing, mutual respect and integration of the conflicting energies.

This is a problem with two party politics, which tends to create and maintain un-integrated polarity. In the second half of my first radio broadcast I will address this in a discussion of the story of the traditional Hopi Indians in relation to our two-party politics.

Returning to Obama, it is quite interesting to note what Hilarion says about the significance of having Aquarius Rising in light of the above discussion:

When Aquarius rises in the natal chart at first breath, it lends to the self-image certain traits of independence, individuality and intellectual ability. The self is seen as "different" from others, unusual in some way. In most cases of Aquarius rising, the pattern is arranged in order to encourage the individual to "branch out", to strike some new note while in incarnation, to break the old familiar patterns of other lives. Often there has been too much repetition of conventional ways of living, and the soul is "in a rut", as it were. Thus one can expect a certain alternation in the individual between times of conventional behavior and times of unconventional activity as he seeks the balance between the two tendencies.

This karmic lesson involving "a certain alternation in the individual between times of conventional behavior and times of quite unconventional activity" is why I think that, whether he wins or loses, Obama is the "Man of the Hour," in that, he himself, is having to find a balance between Saturnian Convention and Uranian unconventional liberation, something which the whole world is being forced to look at and deal with, collectively and individually, at this time and over the next two years.

This also explains Obama's tendency to waver between quite liberal views and rather conservative statements.

Neptune moved across Obama's Aquarian self-image for the first time in his lifetime on February 26, 2006, when he was seriously contemplating his run for the Presidency. This Neptune influence on his Ascendant would open his self-image to Neptunian surrender, compassion, healing, vulnerability and self-sacrifice. At the same time, he would have to contemplate Neptunian tests along the lines of confusion, illusion, delusion, victimhood and martyrdom.

These themes will continue for some time, as Neptune will remain in Obama's First House of self-image for many years to come.

Neptune bears a heavy imprint within Obama's natal birthchart, however, which brings us to the next topic of discussion in examining his birthchart.

In Obama's natal chart Neptune is squaring, in tension with, his Sun in Leo. Personally, I like the fact that Obama is a Leo. Someone who is a Leo is someone who, in some previous lifetime, came to the rescue of a group of people through an act of leadership or courage. As a reward of that courageous act the Leo individual is given, in this lifetime, an extra energy, physically, mentally and/or emotionally, and an image of themselves at the head of, or leading other people.

So, we could say that Leos are born leaders. George W. Bush only thinks that he is a Leo, in that he has Leo Rising. This gives a self-image, which has Leo qualities of pride, arrogance and superiority, but it is given to someone because in previous lives they have had difficulty feeling good about themselves. Hence the observable insecurity behind George W.'s arrogance and aggressivity.

Bill Clinton has, as does Obama, the Sun in Leo. He also has those authentic leadership qualities. Bill Clinton, however, is a clear portrayal of some of the negative sides of Leo:

...the task which comes with the gift is to express the guidance and leadership without allowing the self to assume too great an importance. These energies are easily misdirected into aggrandizement and pride of self, and constant effort is called for by the Leo personality to avoid these negative traits. The best way to keep the pride and self-centered tendencies from manifesting is to cultivate kindness and consideration for others. But even the kind ones can become enmeshed in a habitual tendency to view life as a kind of play in which they are the principal actor around whom everything revolves.

The Neptune-Sun/Leo tension in Barack Obama's chart is both a blessing and a curse for him. On the one hand, it is why Obama is a much more humble Leo than, for example, Bill Clinton. It does, however, involve difficult Neptune lessons along the lines of illusion, confusion, delusion, victimhood and martyrdom.

With Neptune afflicting the Sun these themes of confusion and victimhood are going to be part of one's relationship as a child with one's father.

I believe, virtually, everyone knows the sad story of Obama's relationship with his Black Kenyan Father. He lived with Obama's mother only until Obama was two years old, and then was basically absent from their lives while Obama lived with his white mother in a rather white world. Obama's skin color, however, remained a continual testament to the unpresent father. When Obama's father did return for the only visit before he later died in an automobile accident, Obama was around 12 years old. His father's stern discipline (telling him he should be studying instead of watching TV, etc.) would add to the themes of confusion and victimhood. These wounds were something Obama tried to heal through his journey to Kenya following his father's untimely death, and in his heartfelt writings in his autobiography: Dreams from my father.

This confusion and vulnerability would make it more difficult for Obama to indulge in the normal Leonine pride, arrogance and self-absorption.

Difficult Neptune aspects, however, always bring in tests in dealing with the victim/victimizer program, something I've shared in various writings in the past, but will here repeat.

The victim/victimizer program is a situation where you feel that, if you don't want to be a victim, you have to be a victimizer. And, if you don't want to be a victimizer, then you have to be a victim. And there is no way out, except one. That is the positive side of the planet Neptune, unconditional love, for yourself and for others, total forgiveness, for yourself and for others, and spiritual faith, trust and surrender, to where there are no victims or victimizers, but just all of us frightened little girls and boys doing the best that we can.

One may note that this theme of confusion around the figure of the father and the victim/victimizer program seems to be an on going theme in Obama's life. An easily recognizable example is Obama's relationship with his former pastor the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, whose betrayal and victimization of Obama (illustrating Reverend Wright's own propensity for the victim/victimizer program) after having served as a kind of father figure, whom Obama originally acknowledged as akin to family, clearly reflects this theme.

This theme arose again in the victimizing remarks surreptitiously captured from the lips of Reverend Jesse Jackson in response to Obama's own critical remarks about the irresponsibility of Black Fathers on Father's day. Do we sense a pattern here?

Obama's Neptune is in his Ninth House of philosophy, religion, belief systems, foreign cultures and travel. These are themes present in relation to Obama's Kenyan father, and Obama's travel to Indonesia to live with a Muslim stepfather for some years in early childhood.

This Ninth House Neptune is in tension to Obama's Sun in the Sixth House, house of work, service, activity in the world. Here Obama is trying to be a Leo, a leader in service to the world, but is continually tested on his faith, about his faith, and the by the fanatical faith of those right-wing fanatics who relish in victimizing anyone who doesn't share their own faith and beliefs.

In personal readings with clients I tell them that when you have healed and integrated the tension between two planets in difficult aspect with each other you gain a strength and wisdom which you can then use to help other people with similar problems.

In this case, Obama can bring the positive Neptunian qualities of compassion into integration with Leo qualities of leadership.

Interestingly, George W Bush also has Neptune squaring his Sun, hence some similar illusion and confusion in his relationship as a child with father, and a propensity for the victim/victimizer program, a program which, unfortunately, seems to continue to be George W.'s modus operandi. The potential that can come from a healing of this is why George W. Bush can at least talk about 'compassionate conservatism' even if he fails to pull it off.

Hiring an attack dog like Karl Rove as one's main political advisor is not a good start for that kind of healing.

I think that Obama's ability to heal his own wounds and transcend the victim/victimizer program gives him a quality which this nation, and the world at large, desperately needs. Obama's Aquarian freedom can step outside of the box and let us play by new rules, and yet keep the balance between the conventional and the unconventional, a balance necessary in order to succeed in the current reality.

In the meantime, Obama will fail to satisfy strong progressives, myself included, as well as the conservatives. Personally, I still have faith in the man, and that he is doing what he has to, to win at the game the way it has to be played, balancing idealism with realism.

In the title I referred to Obama as The Dark Knight. This analogy arose by 'accident.' I originally had the simple intention of writing about how the current Batman Movie is really reflective of the impending Saturn/Uranus opposition.

The recently deceased Heath Ledger steals the show in this movie as the Joker, a character who is really a portrayal of the Uranian archetype, the Uranian Archetype run amok.

In this film the Joker admits that he doesn't create the wild chaos he creates for the money. He does it to upset the Saturnian structure and control, and everybody with all of their 'plans.' He does it to show that you cannot totally nail down and eliminate the surprise, the chaotic, and the unconventional. It is a warning to a society that becomes too Saturnian, forcing the freedom loving Uranus to turn to 'The Dark Side" for its fun.

To save us from this confrontation we need someone with Saturnian responsibility integrated with Uranian freedom and unconventionality, someone like Batman, or someone like Barack Obama, the Dark Knight.

Blessings,
Steffan Vanel

August 17, 2008

PS: Since writing this article it has been announced that Joseph Biden will be Barack Obama's running mate. I think this is quite interesting in terms of what I wrote back in December 2007:

There are too many candidates to look at all of their Astrological charts. I'm afraid it's just too much work at this early date. I am going to wait until it gets narrowed down to two and then go to work. I promise that for the new president I will devote a pretty serious analysis for insight into the new captain at the helm of our ship.

One thing I figured I could do for these predictions for 2008 is to cut a Tarot Card for each of the main contenders asking how they are likely to be feeling on the day after the election. So here goes:

Joseph Biden - The Priestess

Here you are being initiated into the presence and consciousness of the Priestess, corresponding to the Moon, she is the Goddess of the Moon the Full Moon, the perfect reception and reflection of the spiritual light.

Based on these results one could imagine Joseph Biden as President.

Joseph Biden got the best card of everyone.

I think the Democrats are going to win.

This newsletter is given free of charge. If you would like to have a private Astrology and/or Tarot reading with me please go to readings page to see the various readings I offer.

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— Steffan Vanel Archive —