I wasn't particularly enthused about seeing this movie.  I have not followed the book series but have seen most of the Potter movies, and found them empty of spiritual meaning.  That is to say, aside from the witchy and mystical pyrotechnics, all that's left is power struggles between wizards, chosen gifted young ones, a reality that moves smoothly from everyday known configurations to a world in which spells and potions and dark and light forces exist, and odd creatures, sub- or super-human, are the norm... it all leaves me pretty uninterested.  Bored!  Not inspired, not touched.

For me, this was because Harry does not represent an aspiring being who seeks to reach personal power through a divine connection or a wisdom route, but simply a guy born with some psychic talents that a school/institution nurtured, educated, and enhanced.  He does not seek to raise his fellow man to heightened awareness of their gifts, or to ease others' suffering through the application of compassion.  This is deeply disappointing to me, for if a young person - and indeed an institution-ful of them - is being taught to wield special powers and abilities, to what end?  What happens when the Dark Lord is defeated?  Friends hug.  So what!  Half the school has been murdered, and we are asked to believe that the children of these kids are going to be sent back to the same institution in 19 years!

Something crucial is missing in these stories, and I would call it vision.

It's not a lack of imagination on the part of J.K. Rowlands, for heaven knows that the stories she has woven are imaginative enough to earn her millions and sell gazillions of books... a difficult feat in today's economy and anti-book culture.  But this is not the only movie that has introduced people with elevated powers who basically do nothing with these abilities except kill the bad guys.  What about envisioning a world in which these powers cannot be bought or given; they can be cultivated but in order to do so, the price must be paid.  And that price is the sacrifice of ego in the service of humanity.  What about a story in which the lead - male or female - reaches increments of transcendental enlightenment as each new power is revealed and then wielded?  What about a concept of elevating the Earth to a new level of awareness through the use of gifted young psychics and wizards?

When Harry Potter offers us a plot like that, that's when I'll get excited.  But not before.  This last movie was technically masterful but still barren.  Mysticism without God is, in effect, black magic!  It's not where my head is at.

AUGUST 2011 ASTRO TIDBITS   

Rather than looking at the world chart or national issues or key politicians this month, I'm going to look instead at a very influential celebrity, Lady Gaga, because she was quoted in a newspaper as having made a very interesting statement.  The quote was regarding her costumes, which she feels are "as much a crucial part of her being as her vital organs"!  She went on to say, "If you were to ask me to remove my Philip Treacy hat at a party, in truth it is the emotional and physical equivalent of requesting I remove my liver."  This begins to feel Plutonic; it begins to feel Neptunian.  Then the capper was her statement that she "doesn't know the difference between 'a moment of performance and a moment of honesty'", adding, "It is my destiny to exist halfway between reality and fantasy at all times."

Given a statement like this from a soul who is playing out the role she is describing for the world to see, not only to gain fame and the spotlight but with some sense of deeper purpose, curiosity sparked my astrologer's brain, and I wanted to see that soul's natal pattern.  Lady Gaga, born Joanne Angelina Germanotta on March 28, 1986 in Yonkers NY - a place that I was able to bike to from the Bronx in my childhood - has a questionable rising sign, some sites reporting a 10:55 PM birthtime, which gives 3 degrees Sag rising.  This is uncertain, but let's see what it might reveal.

First of all, Lady Gaga is an Aries.  There's no question about that.  Aries want to be pioneering, and are very courageous.  Venus and her Part of Fortune, the latter being dependent on the birthtime, are also in Aries in her creative fifth house along with the Node, so this is an artistic and pioneering opportunity.  The North Node, however, is in Taurus, meaning that she will strive for wealth and other types of emotional and financial security through her art.  She launched into fame with the release of an album in 2008, three years ago, and as her progressed Sun now is at 3 degrees of Taurus in the alleged fifth house, three years earlier it would have contacted her progressed Node at 29 Aries, setting off her quest, her mission, her purpose in being a pioneer.  So her true effort begins with breaking new ground (Aries), not just looking for money (Taurus).

The next fascinating thing is her South Node at 1 Scorpio conjunct Pluto in her alleged eleventh house, and so her quest for meaning and purpose is very deep, transformative, powerful.  She will use sexual energy if necessary, but can't get caught up in that, nor can she remain in merely manipulative power games since that was old karma and will not satisfy the quest for trailblazing.  Interestingly, her Pluto in Scorpio retrograde at 6 degrees is quinqunx her Aries Sun, so there is a deep battle there between the energetic thrust forward and the dark and intense emotional battles within.

Her stage presence is derived from this depth of knowing, and of having tackled issues of deep power struggles, power plays, transformative and perhaps dark experiences.  This is backed up further by a Scorpio Moon in her twelfth house.  Lady Gaga, in her costumes, in her moves, and in her lyrics, is certainly delving into emotions, hurts and wounds, pain, revenge, and old karmic baggage.  There is no lightness or frivolity here.

Now, although she has the Sag rising, Saturn is angular in her first house on that rising sign, and that is hard work.  Sag is related to her beliefs and her philosophy but she doesn't feel free.  She feels that she must work very hard to climb the ladder of success.  However, Saturn is very well aspected to her Sun so she is very responsible, and can really work it and persevere, and it strengthens the willingness of the Aries to stick to something rather than just to begin things and walk away or lose interest.

Let's see what her Neptune is doing, with these very powerful Neptunian statements about the line between fantasy and reality.  She has her Mars in Capricorn, another great placement for a businesswoman, and it is conjunct Neptune - a practical healing aspect.  The Mars/Neptune is an effort to create something real from her dreams, and it sextiles the intense Plutonic South Node - so she is here for the purpose of bringing us some kind of healing wisdom through her art.  Now, her Neptune squares her Aries Sun, and that would be all the astrologer needs to see to say that person is having some issues between the dream world of one's fantasies and the everyday level of Earth!  The issue here, then, becomes putting tremendous energy into manifesting visions in a business or practical way, and doing this in a fashion that is sustained, logical, and enduring.  With the Node in Taurus, and Saturn trine the Sun, and Pluto conjunct South Node sextile Mars/Neptune in Capricorn, she did not come here to be giddy.  Also, this chart would give her a Virgo Midheaven, which is a worker-bee chart of performing service.

In addition, to these aspects, she has both Jupiter and Mercury Rx in the possible third house in Pisces.  Pisces is very creative and imaginative.  Jupiter in the third house expands the ability to communicate, and Jupiter in Pisces is very compassionate, very kind.  Mercury Rx in Pisces is psychic, and it's in its own house, the house of writing and communicating.  So here we have an individual who comes with an abundance of talent in order to communicate visionary concepts.  Also, creative, entertaining, and imaginative ideas.  And her Mercury is trine her Moon in Scorpio - a very positive combination to delve deeply into her feelings and find poetic means to convey these ideas.  There is no lack here of creative imagination and the determination and courage to pull this off.

What I'm not seeing is much in the sign of Leo, which would be the entertainer, the drama queen, or the egotist, nor am I seeing much in the sign of Libra, which is usually the musician or dancer.  However, having said that, she now has both the Midheaven and Moon progressed into Libra, so we would think that the last year and a half has been very artistic, and she is succeeding in getting her beautiful (fashionable) concepts across.  The progressed Midheaven a year ago left her tenth house, so her rise to fame occurred while her progressed Libran Midheaven (career point) was still in her tenth house of fame and fortune, and her progressed Moon as well.  That would account for the pattern going back to 2008.  In 2011, now that her progressed Midheaven has entered her supposed eleventh house as well as her Libra progressed Moon, we can see more emphasis on teamwork, partnerships, efforts with groups, reaching her artistic goals... and this can be particularly emphasized for the remainder of 2011 into 2012.  Her progressed Ascendant has reached 22 Sag which is exactly her natal retrograde Uranus, and it's also trining her natal Part of Fortune, so her urge to be eccentric, unusual, to break barriers, to overcome philosophical and even religious differences is upon her.  Perhaps some of her best work is being done and will be done for the remainder of this year.  Pluto, of course, is transiting her Neptune, so she would be a conduit for higher forces in the universe that wish to present some type of image or notion or understanding that is universal and lucrative as well as energetically awakening.

The last thing to say is that her progressed Mercury at 7 Aries is within a degree from her Sun, so next year can be some of her most productive material, most groundbreaking, most eloquent and verbose.  As an astrologer, I have high hopes for Lady Gaga to be not only eccentric and outrageous but to present to us through her art an image of something new, enlightening and powerful.

IT'S IRONIC THAT CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVES, AND NOT NEW- AGERS, ARE NOW ISRAEL'S GREATEST SUPPORTERS