Sally Cheyne McDonald
Astrologer, Lecturer, Writer
@2000
All agree that some, not all but some Americans are enjoying a great bubble of prosperity. The key word here is “bubble.” Is this an accident, a fluke, sudden good luck or a brilliant move of economic strategy? What or who could be presiding over this level of prosperity, particularly when much of the rest of the world is struggling. There are three key figures that come to mind, Alan Greenspan, Robert Rubin, and the latest “on stage” figure, Lawrence Summers. Using Solar Charts, their astrological profiles are very interesting. These are powerful men who consciously strive toward power and control. People who strive for absolute power usually have several shared astrological aspects, to the point that their personalities can merge so you can’t hardly see which is which or who is speaking for whom.
Astrology is a complicated subject and we are complicated individuals. This is not a complete interpretation of any of these men. This is simply a brief overview of the shared methods and belief in their abilities to determine and shift the financial direction of America’s economic road.
The major thing they have in common is the ability to manipulate the direction of a project on a grand scale. Manipulation is not necessarily a bad thing to have; Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, all these people had the ability to encourage and inspire others to be the best of themselves. Manipulation only becomes a problem if it is not used for the greater good of all. Only time will tell if we’ve been manipulated for our good or the good of a select few.
Beginning with Mr. Greenspan, born March 6, 1926 in New York City. You can see that Mr. Greenspan falls under a sensitive and adaptable Sun in Pisces. It’s been said of Pisces that “I don’t know what they said, but they sure sounded good.” Mr. Greenspan’s closest aspect is a trine between Saturn and Uranus, making him a pragmatic realist as well as an excellent strategist. He certainly is capable of formulating a conservative and workable plan and following through. He has a talent for putting fresh ideas and his inspirations into practice, plus a knack for gaining acceptance for new ideas. He is shrewd with good instincts for business and organizational management. Sounds great with one little exception. Looking onward to a quincunx from an Aquarius Jupiter to a Cancer Pluto, Mr. Greenspan would have a firm belief in his vision of “what was good for those he served.” Since he is serving the American people, he is sure that he knows best. Self-protective and almost compulsively secretive, he’s found a near perfect home within a bureaucracy that thrives on half-truths and secrets.
I’m not hinting that Mr. Greenspan is arrogant, but I would remind someone with this aspect that we all look the same in our underwear and the end doesn’t always justify the means.
It’s been said that Mr. Greenspan has a bad temper and his astro chart would bear that out, however he has noble ideals and good intentions to serve humanity, but dominating or manipulating others whether family, friends or a country always needs to be watched.
Mr. Rubin is another pragmatic realist with a Virgo Sun and the Sun’s ruler Mercury in Virgo. (Chart details – August 29, 1938, New York, New York) He recently had transiting Pluto square his Natal Sun and true to classic Pluto energy, he decided to move on to something else. I can’t help but wonder if he’s happy in his new job. Virgo’s are the best at going with the flow of whatever life throws their way. As with Mr. Greenspan, he has an absolute belief in his ability to make decisions for one and all. He also has a great desire to be liked. You can find him pouring over the littlest details, missing nothing. While Mr. Rubin is definitely charming, he is almost completely subjective and just a little defensive with a Venus oppose Saturn. He does have an appreciation for balance and fair play and he knows how to get what he wants. He will use that talent when necessary. Mr. Rubin is a rather cool and self-contained person with a helpful nature and a liking for preserving the status quo. His Saturn/Neptune Quincunx enabled him to appear without an ego; in fact he could turn that quality into an art. Mr. Rubin was very well liked as Secretary of Treasury and certainly inspired economic confidence on Wall Street, thanks in part to his wide Venus/Jupiter trine, supported by an opposition from Mars (the “we can do anything” aspect). Nearly every negative aspect in Mr. Rubin’s chart is supported by a positive. Mistakes could be turned into successes, losses into opportunities, and failures could be completely overlooked.
Anyone familiar with Lawrence Summers 1991 memo when he was the chief economist for the World Bank, would wonder how he could follow Robert Rubin as Secretary of Treasury. In that 1991 memo, Mr. Summers suggested that it would be appropriate for “rich” countries to dump their toxic waste onto Third World countries. Some consider this memo to be “a working thesis behind this decade’s global economic policies.” This certainly wouldn’t seem “Rubin like.”
From an astrological view, no matter what anyone else thinks of Mr. Summers, Mr. Rubin thought he was terrific. Larry Summers, born November 30th, 1964 in New Haven, Connecticut, has Mars at 27 degrees Aquarius, in almost an exact conjunction to Mr. Rubin’s Jupiter (planet of expansion and faith) In addition, Mr. Summers’ Neptune is in Conjunction to Mr. Rubin’s Venus and Moon. In short, Mr. Rubin never saw Larry Summers clearly, or if he did, he ignored the signs.
It has been said that Mr. Summers has limited social skills, exhibiting ruthlessness and tactlessness. That could possibly be the case as he has a Mercury/Mars/Pluto T-square. Couple that T-square with a Jupiter/Uranus conjunction in a square to Neptune and there is a danger of being a law unto himself. Most certainly he has an absolute belief in his theories and an extreme reluctance to change his mind. The Venus/Saturn Conjunction in Scorpio might be a ferocious desire to have his own way, and a danger of detachment from emotions, including compassion.
On the plus side you can count on him to “get things done.” He’s focused and through with an extraordinary ability to dig deep beneath the surface of a problem or issue because he would never be satisfied with the face value of anything. His Sagittarius Sun with the ruler (Jupiter) in conjunction to Uranus gives him a strong optimistic streak and the ability to see life as an adventure. As a University Professor, I would expect his teaching methods to be quite unique. Like Mr. Greenspan, he likes secrets and has a tendency toward being very suspicious of the hidden motivations of others.
I am struck by the amount of Aquarius energy these three men have. While Aquarius is known for innovation, intelligence, and serving of humanity, it is also stubborn, independent, detached and can forget that it is PART of the humanity they are trying to serve. In other words, everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time.
Sometimes what seems to be the “easy road” turns out to be the hardest path to follow. Right now, some of us are on the “easy road.” It will be history that decides if the economic policies of these three men are of value or destruction to society. We all hope these policies turn out to be of value. There are more than enough astrological signs in the year 2000 and 2001 to create the needed dramas to find out if the Emperor is wearing clothes.
Sally Cheyne McDonald
Astrologer, Lecturer, Writer
@2000
Reprinted with Permission