Madonna's Big Summer

If the birth time I have for Madonna is accurate (dob August 16 1958 7:05 AM Bay City, Michigan) then she is in for some major life changes by the middle of August 2008. At this time and the weeks and month just after that will be especially challenging and life-changing for her.

There are two very powerful transits happening to her this year.

For starters, beginning in December of 2007 and again in August 2008, we see that Saturn is going over her ascendant (or you could say into the first house of her horoscope) which is 8 degrees of Virgo. This suggests that a major new life cycle is about to begin for her. This cycle will last for the next 30 years or so, and the last time it happened for Madonna was in October of 1978 and June of 1979, when she first moved to New York City, became a nude model and joined a band called The Breakfast Club.

A transit like this is normally characterized by significant endings and beginnings. This could relate to her career, her marriage, where she lives, and also the way in which she identifies herself. It can even me all of those things.

If her marriage is strong then it will be tested but remain intact since Saturn naturally opposes the descendant (which symbolizes one's marriage partner among other things) when it is hovering around the ascendant. If there are some problems there with Guy Ritchie that they aren't able or willing to work through, then Saturn will terminate the relationship by August or early in the fall.

It has already been reported that she has a new album coming out in the early spring and that she's been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but I suspect that there will also be some more difficult events going on for her this year.

It will be a time when she will be seen very clearly for who she really is--the world will get a sober look at her for better or for worse.

Another challenging astrological event she faces this year is transitting Saturn going over her natal Moon at 11 degrees of Virgo in September of 2008. This is another extremely important transit for her. It indicates some development or change in career direction for her and perhaps a change with regard to any organizations or groups she is currently involved with since Cancer rules her 11th house. And since the Moon represents our emotional nature, our family, and our attachments, Saturn is going to restrict these parts of her life and cause them to change in a profound way. Depression and a feeling extreme loneliness are not uncommon during a transit like this. This conjunction of Saturn to her Moon last happened in November of 1978 and July of 1979, also pivotal years in her early career.

Just a reminder: Saturn does not take anything away that really and truly belongs to us. It just strips things down to their bare essentials and demands that we let go of anything that no longer works in our life.

The Transformation of the United States

2008 and 2009 will be pivotal years for the United States. The astrological weather for that time period suggests that our country is about to undergo a series of radical and dramatic shifts, both socially and economically. This pertains to all things that are Saturnian in nature--since Saturn and Uranus are going to be in opposition beginning on election day of this year, and Pluto will be in the sign of Capricorn (a sign that is ruled by Saturn) between 2008-2023.

Pluto in Capricorn (2008-2024)

Since 1994 Pluto has been in Sagittarius. This period was characterized by our desire to live excessively (i.e. through borrowing and spending beyond our means). Under this influence we've been a country that craves instant gratification and this will be changing by 2009. Sagittarius also rules international affairs, religion, and media, and Pluto's journey through that sign transformed the way all of those aspects of life operate in the world: the rise of religious extremism and church scandals, terrorism and "holy wars", and the way certain parts of the media has been transformed from offering neutral coverage to sensationalistic reporting with an obvious political agenda (think Fox News). Incidentally this started with the OJ Simpson trial in 1994 just as Pluto was making its way into Sagittarius.

When Pluto leaves that sign and enters Capricorn in 2008, we're going to see a significant transformation of all things related to that sign: the political structure, financial institutions, real estate, established religions, big business, concepts of career, status and wealth, and issues pertaining to buildings and even fatherhood. Traditional institutions like marriage will continue to undergo massive changes between 2008-2024 because Pluto reinvents everything it touches and demands that it change in a major way. Things that were hidden until now will be brought to the surface for the purpose of cleansing and transformation—Pluto loves to expose the underbelly of life and hold it up for all to see, no matter how distasteful it is or how uncomfortable it makes us. It doesn't care how we feel and it steamrolls over everything whether we like it or not so it is best to accept the changes it brings about rather than to resist them.

The last two times Pluto was in Capricorn:

1515 AD to 1532 - Martin Luther's Protestant revolt and the ensuing crisis for Emperor Charles the V and the Catholic Church.

1762 AD to 1777 – The American Revolution

SATURN OPPOSITE URANUS

Saturn opposing Uranus is the polarity of new vs old, revolution vs tradition, and a challenge to the status quo and the powers that be. It happens every 40 years or so and its effects are usually felt over a two year period.

Dates of the upcoming Saturn/Uranus opposition:

November 4, 2008- Election day, a radical change in government (the first female president perhaps?)
Feb 5 2009
September 15 2009
April 26 2010
July 26 2010

The last time Saturn and Uranus were in opposition was between 1964-1967, a period of great social unrest and upheaval and just after the assassination of John F Kennedy


The fact that this opposition will be taking place on election day of 2008 suggests a radical shift in the way Washington is run—which suggests a major change in leadership and therefore an easy win for whomever the Democratic candidate ends up being (which appears to be Hillary Clinton at the moment).

The temptation by some to cling to the past (Saturn) will be more pronounced in reaction to a demand for change and revolution (Uranus)

The last time we had this opposition was between 1964-1967, a time that marked by civil unrest, cultural changes, protest, and a demand for equal rights, particularly by women and African-Americans.


A TURNING POINT IN AMERICAN HISTORY: 2010-2011

The time period between August 2010-January 2011 should be particularly important for the United States as Saturn goes over the Midheaven of the United States and we also have our Saturn return. This marks a time of culmination and can described as a 'make or break' time where we will be at a crossroads and will have to take a significant new course of action in some way. It will be obvious what this is about once it is happening.