Astro Update - Issue #3

Welcome to Llewellyn’s Astro Update Newsletter. I’m Sharon Leah, and like you, I’ve heard a lot about the presidential election that’s now just days away. The decision about who we’ll vote for is based on two things: how we think and how we feel. Mercury rules thinking/intellect and the Moon rules emotions. If we combine these two, we get something called “emotional intelligence.”

Now, many of us would consider “emotional intelligence” a dichotomy, and it is true that emotions and feelings don’t align well at times. After all, how do we meet our emotional needs if our thoughts don’t support needs or vice versa? These two words first appeared together in the doctoral thesis of Wayne Leon Payne in 1985, but writer Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence, published in1995, is the recognized source among the general public. The real credit probably belongs to two American university professors, John Mayer and Peter Salovey, though, for trying to develop a way to scientifically measure the difference between people's ability in the area of emotions. Based on work done prior to 1990, they found that some people were better than others at things like identifying their own feelings, identifying the feelings of others, and solving problems involving emotional issues. Those individuals would have higher emotional intelligence.

We can look at the condition of the Moon (emotion) and Mercury (intelligence) in a birthchart and gain insight into how these two planetary energies are working together—or if they are. The condition of a planet is measured by its sign (the Moon is strong in Cancer and Taurus, but considered debilitated in Capricorn and Scorpio), the aspects it makes to or receives from other planets, and house placement.

Not only is our own emotional intelligence important, so is the emotional intelligence of George W. Bush or John Kerry. What can we learn about them from the Moon and Mercury in their birthcharts? With this limited space, I can give only the “essence” of each man’s emotional intelligence.

George Bush (July 6, 1946, at 7:26 am, New Haven, CT) has Jupiter conjoined his Libra Moon in the Third House (early education, communication), and Mercury conjoins Pluto and his Leo Ascendant in the First House (self). Bush thinks on a grand scale (Leo), and underlying his thought process is the strong urge to have power and control (Pluto). He wants the world to see him as a king (Leo). His Moon/Jupiter conjunction is trine Uranus in the Eleventh House, which is a very fortuitous aspect that accounts for Bush’s personal magnetism in large groups. Mercury/Pluto on the Ascendant are stronger than the Moon/Jupiter combination in the Third House, and they give him the influential power he desires to meet his emotional need to be well liked and nurtured through personal relationships (Libra) in a BIG way (Jupiter). He can perceive other’s feelings, but his thinking is fixed (Mercury in Leo), and with his thoughts so closely bound to his persona (Ascendant) his problem solving skills are limited.

John Kerry (December 11, 1943, at 8:03 am, United States Army F, CO) has a Seventh House Gemini Moon conjoined the Descendant and boxed in by Mars from the Sixth House (service to others) and Saturn from the Seventh House (partnership). Kerry’s Capricorn Mercury is strengthened in the First House, and Saturn’s rulership connects Mercury to his Saturn/Moon/Mars conjunction. Capricorn’s influence gives him the ability to plan in a structured manner. Having Mercury inconjunct Uranus may account for his rebel phase as well as the ability to change his mind when information warrants a change. He has good concentration and memory for details (Capricorn). He is sensitive and responsive to the needs of others (Moon in the Seventh), and takes action (Mars) in a structured, determined manner (Saturn) based on the constant stream of information he taps into (Gemini). Kerry’s Mercury has strength, and the Moon gains from its connection to the Descendant and Saturn. His thinking process is connected to his emotional nature. He may be less aware of his own feelings than he is of other’s feelings due in part to a tendency to think (Gemini) in concrete, goal-oriented (Capricorn) ways, but he does very well at solving problems that involve emotional issues and other people (Seventh House).

You can have fun with astrology and learn more about yourself and others in the process. I’ve listed several books to get you started, or visit the bookstore at Llewellyn’s website for our complete list of astrology titles. You’ll also find articles on a variety of subjects in New Worlds, a bi-monthly magazine, and the Llewellyn Journal on our website.