I heard about a story this week from Los Angeles. It’s a month old already, but that’s okay in this case. It didn’t make national headlines: No one took target practice with a gun or tried to terrorize anyone with knives or candies made into sheathed injurious weapons on boys and girls, at least not enough to hit the front page somewhere. You already know about those that did. And even if you live in California, you may not have heard about this–unless you happen to belong to the KISS (Keep It Simply Serious) Astrology group on Facebook. Just my kind of story that relates to daily life and truly caring  politicians helping people who probably aren’t even voters yet…

Hey, wait a minute. Isn’t that an oxymoron? Politicians who are helping non-voters…hmmm…

The idea brought to mind a well-known question I used in my last newsletter (October 29): “Am I my brother’s keeper?” It points to a number of issues I’ve been writing about for the last several weeks. We’ve traveled the journey of beginning to peel Life’s onion, and we’re almost assuredly not done with that. The aspects are still coming into play where they will be for a while. But this story brings us full circle to the combination of responsibility and spirituality in the most unlikely place perhaps: Politics.

And yet, isn’t that what we all hope for in our politicians, that they would show themselves as genuinely human and as humane as the rest of us?

City Council Declares Local Emergency On Homelessness In LA

At the outset, of course, one may question whether Los Angeles politicians are simply trying to make points with their constituents, or if they’re starting to get “it”–that elusive quality that somehow makes what we hope most of us are,  compassionate, and separates the baby-kissing politician from the average Joe.

This is actually a feel-good story in the midst of the Peeling of Life’s Onion. Another oxymoron perhaps? Well, in this case, probably not. It seems the president of the Los Angeles City Council, Herb Wesson, and the members of the Homelessness and Poverty Committee got the City Council to approve spending US$100 million on addressing the needs of the homeless, including housing and shelter programs!

“Craving protection from the elements is a basic human instinct. As a moral society, we have an obligation to provide shelter for the shelter-less. Today, we step away from the insanity of doing the same thing and hoping for different results, and instead chart our way to ending homelessness in Los Angeles,” said Wesson to CBS local television.

With a staggering figure of close to 45000 homeless in Los Angeles county, for me, this perspective is more than a little significant: That’s nearly the size of the total population of my city here on the East coast of the United States!

The chart impressed me with a Pluto-ruled Scorpio rising, Eastern 4th quadrant dominance; yet it remains clearly balanced above- and below-the horizon. The City Council had no doubt about what they wanted and planned to do, although some of their thinking apparently will remain behind the scenes since we don’t always need to know all of the pieces in a plan to do right by a group of people when the effort is so obviously there.

Pluto stands “for the good of all,” and that theme seems to be obvious in its 3rd house conjunction to the Moon, the means of making a powerful statement that well could start a trend in the United States. At least we can hope so. Mars, by this time, was nearing the end of Leo and already looking toward the positive service it could do in the community through Virgo. I think of Virgo and immediately get a feel of the Hindi word “seva” which is focused on service to or within the community. Mars in Virgo provides the opportunity to bring such hopes to life, to renew the will to participate in healthy ways in society.

On a side note, I think of Pluto’s transiting opposition to the nation’s Sun: While the nation is challenged, as it often is in any year by domestic and international issues, the opposition doesn’t have to be a negative transit at all. In fact, this can offer the government the opportunity to do what’s right. Now understand, I’m tossing this idea out simply as a side note because this isn’t an article about the nation, just about one city in one state. But certainly the rest of the world often gets its ideas either by what is seen as aggression or by intrusion into situations where the United States hasn’t been asked to interfere.

Coming closer to where this innovative action is taking place–Los Angeles–I decided to look at the city and state charts as well.

I’m not going to analyze California’s chart thoroughly, just enough to point out a few factors since the entire state isn’t the real issue yet. It would seem, however, that we’ll see a likelihood of the state getting involved in some positive efforts. Take note of Saturn’s conjunction to the Ascendant for the state. Now, in all fairness, I have to tell you both the state and city charts are not the precise degrees and minutes (but close) as the data offered by Carolyn Dodson in her Horoscopes of US States and Cities. A slight variation in the coordinates she used is only part of the explanation, and I really can’t figure out why other than the anomalies of whatever software she might have been using in comparison to what I’m using. Nevertheless, the state and city charts in her book are–at least most of the time–set for noon, and that’s the way I had cast these charts. I did not, however, place the charts outside of the event since the Los Angeles City Council actually was the catalyst for this act of compassion.

The 25-minute partile conjunction of the declaration’s Sun to the State of California’s 10th house Jupiter while forming a pair of partile trines to the 5th house Uranus-Pluto conjunction (the declaration Sun to Uranus by 29 minutes and to Pluto by 14 minutes), the 12th house conjunction of Saturn to the Ascendant (ASC)–which would be the case regardless of whether or not the Dodson chart ASC is used– the State’s Sun conjunct the Midheaven (MC), again whether or not we use the Dodson chart MC; and transiting Uranus 31-minute conjunction to the state’s natal Saturn. Fourth house transiting Chiron opposes the state’s Sun, offering an opportunity to perform. I’m emphasizing performance here since the state’s chart obviously has Chiron rising in the 1st house, and this state is usually the first one coming to mind when we think of the movie industry. Not that there aren’t others; but right now California is in the limelight, and perhaps its audience is waiting to see whether the trend to address the needs of the homeless will indeed expand next to the entire state. I’d certainly like to think so.

Moving to the City of Los Angeles chart on the inside, note the 12th house transiting Saturn conjunction to the ASC as well as the city’s nearing its first house Saturn Return. The transiting Jupiter-Neptune opposition establishes a Mutable T-square as well to the city’s Saturn. But for those who question the orbs in play, the midpoint of the declaration’s Saturn and Los Angeles’ Saturn falls at 6 Sagittarius 55, forming a 55-minute partile square to transiting Neptune. Ironically but probably not coincidentally, the state has just completed its Neptune return, bringing the same dynamics of this transiting Saturn-Neptune square to mind. As Saturn moves closer to the state’s Neptune, it could bring these issues to light for the entire state. The midpoint of the declaration chart’s Neptune and the State’s Neptune falls at 6 Pisces 03, making a 52-minute partile square to the midpoint of the declaration chart’s Saturn and Los Angeles’ Saturn.

Reinhold Ebertin in The Combination of Stellar Influences (COSI), points to “law, civil servants of the administration, also government officials, politicians” as the sociological correspondence of the Jupiter/Saturn midpoint. In aspect to Neptune, he notes “pessimism [and] a feeling of abandonment” among the challenges. The Saturn/Neptune midpoint sociological correspondence points to “poor, sick or depressed persons,” which can describe the majority of homeless wherever they are located.

The midpoint of the transiting Jupiter/Neptune opposition falls at 8 Sagittarius 29. Transiting Saturn will conjunct this point very late on December 8 (at midnight on December 9, it’s at 8 Sagittarius 30), which could point to the start of conversations related to humanitarian issues in addition to homelessness. The midpoint, says Ebertin, indicates “an abundance or richness of feeling…idealism, the enjoyment of moulding or shaping things…a great love of humanity. The ability to give love to those who are in need of it…”

I suppose what strikes me most is a couple of things I mentioned in the last newsletter (October 29), and they apply here. Of course, I had no idea of events taking place in Los Angeles about 5 weeks before I said them; but they prove the point. Nevertheless, this transit I call the Peeling of Life’s Onion becomes highly relevant even from the spiritual side. As I wrote in the newsletter, “We aren’t isolated or insulated from the world beyond us, no matter how we try. And regardless of any theological beliefs to which we do or don’t adhere, we’ve all heard the age-old question, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ This may be where Saturn and Neptune are actually on the same page.” I added later, “It’s not enough that we are more spiritual for ourselves. In the greater context of things, our being more spiritual for ourselves in many ways can isolate us from the world instead of our participating in asking, ‘What more can I do to help the world as it cries? Can I contribute in some way to let others know I care? Perhaps I can rise up with others in protest against the countless injustices in my neighborhood, my city, my state, my country–or even in the world, my world…”

The Chiron-Uranus transiting semisextile forms a pair of undecaquartisextiles, each within orb of less than 3°30–to the transiting North Node; but the midpoint of this pair makes a 53-minute partile conjunction to Los Angeles’ Moon. The city’s Moon forms an 8-minute partile opposition to Neptune, which then also falls in a 45-minute partile opposition to the Chiron-Uranus transiting midpoint! In 360 Degrees of Wisdom: A Sabian Oracle (©2004 Lynda Hill), Aries 5 symbolizes “A WHITE TRIANGLE IS SEEN; IT HAS GOLDEN WINGS.” I’m especially moved by this symbol and how it speaks so strongly to the efforts of the Los Angeles City Council especially with the city’s 4th house Moon conjunct this degree. “What’s needed is an uplifted view to expand your scope of awareness.” “Seeking harmony will cause things to move, sometimes in a very surprising way!” And indeed it does. The inspiration of the members of the City Council has led them down a spiritual path in hopes of creating the necesssary change for Los Angeles–almost as if someone there took note of this point on the natal Moon. Someone obviously also made sure to avoid “Not noticing your own down-to-earth needs or the needs of those around you.”

I’ve addressed Pisces 8, “A GIRL BLOWING A BUGLE” in a very recent article. Neptune is still on that degree and remains relevant in the call to action. One more thing struck me in the Sabian Symbols related to key components of the chart, and that was the placement of Los Angeles’ natal Saturn at Sagittarius 14, “A VAST PANORAMA OF SAND AND TIME IS UNFOLDING; THE PYRAMIDS AND SPHINX IN THEIR GLORY RISE BEFORE THE EYE” in the caution Lynda Hill offers: “Anonymity of the masses.” Wise words of advice–to be careful the homeless no longer remain anonymous in the world so they have an opportunity to rebuild their lives. Rebuilding: That’s where we started–Pluto, for the good of all.

Right before I began to post this tonight, a local news story mentioned that Senator Charles Schumer of New York State is presenting a bill to the US Congress on the homelessness of veterans throughout the country. The number not only is significant when we consider the nearly 45000 homeless (veterans or not) in Los Angeles County, but imagine the number of homeless throughout the United States. The veterans are one more pocket. I thought about this in relation to the homeless around the world, and the number is even more staggering. So although the following is from a performance she did for United Nations Humanitarian Day in 2012, it’s an appropriate way to add just one more thought, this time from Beyoncé. The year this video was made, while noted, is no longer relevant:

“Sometimes, we need to be like the gardener, digging our hands in and planting or sowing new seeds to start life blossoming and thriving again,” I wrote in the last newsletter. I’d say this is the kind of energy that’s beginning to take place. Perhaps we are witnessing the start of a trend with Los Angeles as the gardener sowing the seeds.

Namaste, I love you.

©Michelle Young 2015