Dear Friends/Clients, and Countrymen,

I wish to recommence my newsletter by sharing an announcement and some observations and comments on the
presidential election.

The announcement is that my book: The Astrological Karma of the USA, is now being distributed by Baker& Taylor, the main distributor to libraries across the nation. So if you would like to read my book but are short on cash or would like to help get my vision of the country into the presence of the mainstream public you can now go to your local libraries and ask them to
order a copy.

Those of you who have read my book may have read that on the day before the election the Progressed Sun of the United States went into the sign of Pisces. For the last thirty years it has been in the sign of Aquarius, an airy mental sign of communication, technology and group consciousness. This has correlated with the arise of the internet and electronically linked communities and the strengthening of group consciousness in the United States.

This strengthening of group consciousness in the United States, however, has led to the strengthening of two intensely opposed groups in the United States, rather graphically portrayed by the blocks of red and blue states in the post-election map.

The Progressed Sun of the United States going into Pisces for the next thirty years, the day before the election, is highly significant. Pisces is a watery emotional sign, ruled by the planet Neptune, which can represent emotional sensitivity, healing compassion, and spiritual faith and surrender in positive aspect. And, in difficult aspect, it can represent illusion, confusion, delusion, victimhood and martyrdom. I pointed out that these energies would be in play no matter who won the election.

If Kerry had won, those of us on the left would have felt that finally we could be a nation which could hopefully return to a quality of heartfelt compassion and sensitivity to those who suffer within our own nation and around the world. We could respond more compassionately in all of our international relations. And, the right wing would be feeling that they are victims and martyrs suffering from our delusions.

With George Bush winning the election his supporters may well be feeling the emotional impact of a Neptunian faith that ‘God has answered their prayers’ and that George W. Bush is clearly God’s choice for this time in history. And the rest of us are now
feeling that we are victims and martyrs suffering from the delusional manipulation and power of all of those red states.

Those who have read my book will remember that, although I was feeling optimistic that Kerry could win, I did see one factor affecting Kerry’s birthchart which could cause him to lose the election. I will paste in my observations on that factor from the book here:

-----If John Kerry does lose the 2004 election it could well be due to energies derived from yet another factor related to Kerry’s First House Sun. That factor is:

The main karmic significance of this placement is the necessity to pass through many testing periods in terms of the ego or self. In numerous cases a breaking down of the old pattern is necessary, and this may come about through a nervous crisis, through a severe depression or through manipulation by others — for example in any of a number of “cult” groups presently on the earth which practise confrontation as a technique to secure the obedience of members. This karma arises from a past life in which similar pressures were applied against others, always with a retarding influence on the soul-growth of those
affected.

As far as I know Kerry has not been involved in any“ cult groups.” And for you conspiracy buffs I don’t think the Skull and Bones Society at Yale classifies. Kerry has, however, had to frequently deal with the efforts of others to manipulate and control him in order to secure his obedience....... With Pluto currently conjuncting Kerry’s First House Sun, I am sure that he can feel the deep underground investigation by the Bush forces into every past statement, vote, or other activity of his which they could manipulatively use against him. Just like President Nixon attempted to discredit Kerry, President Bush is attempting to do the same thirty years later. Vice President Cheney has orchestrated attacks by himself and designated Republican Senators to distort Kerry’s combat service records. On the surface this may appear to merely be a Republican
maneuver to deflect questions regarding Bush’s own military service records. Given the Bush parallel to Nixonian duplicity and the current conjunction of Pluto, however, I believe Kerry may once again be experiencing his karmic challenge relating to
manipulative and controlling forces.

Kerry demonstrated an awareness of these forces while campaining in the 2004 Florida primary. He was asked how Democrats can be assured that the Republican forces in Florida would not once again undermine the voting process. (For a detailed account of the hidden machinations in the 2000 Florida election results I recommend Greg Palast’s book The Best Democracy Money Can Buy). Kerry responded that the new electronic voting machines recently purchased by Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s administration needed to also have a
back-up paper trail of how votes were cast in case those machines malfunction------(end of book quote)

Since the recent election has concluded many revelations have been making the rounds which indicate widescale fraudulent voting incidents, particularly in Florida and Ohio. It seems quite likely that the Bush forces have undermined the legitimacy of this election on an even greater scale than last time. One website you can go to for some details is www.gregpalast.com.

This, of course, is rather depressing. I am writing this newsletter on Thanksgiving Eve with the top news story, as true irony would have it, being the outcry over the fraudulent elections in the Ukraine. It has made me feel and wonder about George W. Bush. I wonder what he must be feeling now, while he is publicly decrying this horrible abuse of democracy when his own position is likely due to similar abuses.

Many Astrological observers have noted that Saturn, the planet of karmic limitation and restriction is right now conjuncting Bush’s natal Saturn, his 2nd Saturn Return. There have been dire predictions for what this might entail. This Saturn/Saturn conjunction is in the 12th House, however, the house of the deeper unconsious and past life memory. There is a lot of
personal karma involved with this which I wrote about in the chapter about George Bush. My feeling about the overall effect of this Saturn transit now on Bush’s 12th House Saturn is that of a heavy weight and pressure on his own unconscious, including his conscience, which for Bush, seems to be rather unconscious.

Bush’s conscious ego apparently more identified with his proud and arrogant Leo Rising self-image and his feisty Aries Mid-Heaven persona are in denial of this Saturnian weight in his own unconscious. He has to be in detached denial from all of the suffering in Iraq and from the fact that he is serving as president as a result of a criminally stolen election.

Nonetheless the pressure is there and the debacle in the Ukraine is a current part of that pressure.

At the end of the year, Saturn will be square to Bush’s feisty Aries Mid-Heaven/Persona, peaking on January 9. This will cause some kind of pressure but still coming from his 12th House of unconscious.

On September 12, ( a rather omenous date?) is when Saturn conjuncts his Leo Ascendant self-image exactly. (Leo Ascendant is given to an individual to help them to overcome or compensate for feelings of inferiority or insecurity arising from previous lives)This is when this Saturnian pressure will become very conscious to both Bush and those who observe him.

Saturn will be in Bush's First House of self-image for a couple of years. I don’t think this will be an easy time for him.

In 2005 Uranus, the planet of sudden unexpected change, will be opposite Bush’s natal Mars, with exact‘ hits’ on April 14 and August 18. What will this mean? Well, Uranus represents surprise. It will, however, be affecting his own Martial will and energy.

To finish this rather lengthy newsletter I find myself wishing we were like the Ukranians right now. I wish we had tens of thousands in the streets protesting the crooks in power. Unfortunately our crooks are much slicker than their crooks, although when you have a county in Ohio with 4,000 votes for Bush beyond the number of registered voters in that county, you must question their sophistication.

Still, this is Thanksgiving Eve and I want to focus on what I am thankful for. I am personally thankful for the faith that the powers of darkness will not succeed. Eventually the new birth that the Master Hilarion prophesizes will take place, will take place. What we are going through now and in the years ahead,
as I see it, are labor pains. Eventually the birth will come. Whether we have a 4 hour labor or a 72 hour labor is still subject to the freewill choices we all make individually and collectively. I am happy and grateful, as well, to be part of a
network of lightworkers, midwives as it were, to this new birth. I am grateful for the work that everyone is doing out there to help us on our way home.

Happy Holiday Everyone, Steffan Vanel