#60

The First Baby-Boomers

February 6, 2005

Ancient Indian Texts

     Last November, Subscriber M.R. from Boston offered me his Vedic Astrology library.  These were texts from India, which he had studied many years ago.  I said, Yes, thanks.  There will certainly be some great nuggets of Vedic knowledge I could glean. 

     Indian astrology books are ancient Sanskrit scriptures translated into the Queen's English with accompanying explanatory notes, which can be as indecipherable as scriptural stanzas themselves.  The texts characteristically recite divinely inspired rules, called Yogas -- special combinations of planets, signs and/or houses giving very specific influences.  Because the Eastern mind is non-linear and technical, astrology in India is traditionally learned by memorizing hundreds, even thousands, of these Yogas.  The astrologer then locates the Yogas in charts to make factual predictions about the person's fate, for good or ill.

     This compares to the Western mind's integrating the scriptural information into principles and concepts that draw the shape of the life and offer generalized predictions for how the life will unfold.  The former reflects the Eastern focus on fate and the latter upon the Western dedication to empowering free will.  There are merits to both approaches, but it is the Indian's rote memorization that enables unveiling the amazingly accurate information for which Vedic Astrology is famous.  Any Vedic Astrologer in the West must thereby surrender to this tedious memorization process in order to become fully competent in this esoteric craft.

The Box Arrives

     Two weeks later UPS delivered a box holding two dozen Indian texts published from the fifties onward.  These were typically small hard cover and paperbacks poorly printed with thin yellowing paper printed on archaic colonial-era presses.  I stacked the books next to my client file cabinet to become fittingly dusty until a combination of guilt, duty and curiosity prompted my picking up the top text.  Running Mercury and Ketu in my planetary cycles, insight is favored, but health is delicate.  I thereby initiated a daily ritual of taking a text to the health food store for an organic salad lunch to learn the Yogas via the slow, deep absorption required for Vedic Astrology.

    On top of the stack was Garga-Hora by Sage Gargacharya, A Practical Interpreter of Planetary Combinations In Rishi Vakyas.  Well, I thought, I can't allow the inscrutable title to intimidate me from my plan of memorizing Yogas.  The text's Forward, by famed astrologer B.V. Raman, brought some curiosity-inspired hope in stating, Garga Hora enumerates a number of significant combinations, some even novel.  

     The text's first section was General Principles, giving me hope of finding some Western-style integration to illminate the Yogas.  I dutifully read through the 83 items listing, seeking to connect with the unfathomable by matching the Yogas to charts I knew.  I methodically chewed over each sentence as I chomped through raw vegetables, a tandem meditative effort of slow deep absorption.

An Epiphany

     My jaw reflexively clamped down on a walnut, and I bit my tongue with the epiphany that this Rahu/Saturn Yoga may very well have widespread application and power in society.  Well, no pain, no gain, I ruefully thought, considering this the price to pay for advancing my knowledge.  Besides, with this healthy diet, I'll heal quickly.

     Back at home, I looked up Saturn/Rahu Yoga in Garga-Hora and verified its potency in modern Western texts.  I confirmed that Rahu (the head of the dragon eclipse point ) is exalted in Taurus, a sign owned by Venus.  This brings a tremendous motivation and capability for long term achievement, a unique artistic talent and creativity, personal charisma, unusual beauty, fated relationships and airplanes.  (Recall that Trump had his airline and Bush was a fighter pilot.)  Saturn in Cancer is a bad position for Saturn's higher qualities of responsibility and humility.  It makes the person Saturn- tough, relentless, stubborn and hard- hearted.  Saturn's death and destruction also come forward here, both in the person's activities and in toxic health issues.     

     These two malefics in those sign positions combine for a lifelong drive for mastery in the person's field of endeavor, which brings long term success, often at the expense of others -- victimizing without conscience, but sometimes too, being the victim.

     These characteristics aptly describe Bush, and also Trump.  Note that Trump has persevered for decades, overcoming bankruptcies (victimizing lenders), and his television show is solely about winning.  For people like Trump, and Bush too, the ends always justify the means. The fact that these two men reached pinnacles of success in different fields relates to other dispositions in their charts, but that they share the Yoga's strengths empowered their singular achievements.

     Next, I considered that this Yoga must have lasted for well over a year, because Saturn stays in a sign for 2 1/2 years and Rahu for 1 1/2 years.  The Yoga began June 28, 1946 and ended December 14, 1947.  This suggests that others in this earliest post World War II baby-boomer group would also have achieved great fame and power due to this Yoga in the same way --  applying their charismatic creativity in an unconstrained, even brutal, pursuit of success.  In reviewing this with one of my editors, he suggested the word sinister to be apt.

The Last Yoga Activation

     The slow, deep absorption of digesting this Yoga percolated up to pondering its existence within time from the Indian perspective.

     I considered the antiquity of Indian culture (the word ancient here truly means thousands of years old), that gives Indians a uniquely millennial perspective.  I thought this Yoga would occur very rarely in historical terms.  Saturn's 29 year orbit through the constellations (signs) and Rahu's reverse motion 18 year orbit must result in long intervals between Yoga activations.  Still, its previous occurrences could give some further insight.  So, I patiently ran the transit wheel on my Vedic Astrology computer program backward to find this Rahu/Saturn Yoga last occurred from late August 1798 to late January 1799.  I searched Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia for famous people births for 1798  and 1799 but found no recognizable names.  No U.S. Presidents, Civil War leaders or other notable Americans were born during this period.  So, this was a dead end inquiry, although it may be true that listed Europeans and others also applied the Yoga's energies to shape their cultures.  However, that research is beyond the scope of this Forecast. 

     I did see that during the Yoga's 1798-99 activation, Jupiter, the planet of luck and fortune, was in Taurus and Aries, and during the 1946-47 activation, it was in Virgo and Libra.  The latter placements support the Saturn/Rahu Yoga, and the former do not.  This reminded me B.V. Raman's statement that Yogas do not fructify unless the big planets, Jupiter and Saturn, are in favorable transit positions.  (Only the Queen of England, Indians and horticulturists still use the word fructify.)  This, then, was the reason the 1798-99 Yoga activation did not bring people of exceptional achievement as has the 1946-47 activation.

Other Famous Folks With This Yoga   

     I went returned to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia looking for 1946 births and 1947 births during the Yoga activation for famous people.  There were several hundred listed, and I selected those names I recognized.  (This methodology was thereby objective, though I admit, certainly not exhaustive.)  I acknowledge that not everyone born with the Yoga would or could become famous, for other chart strengths would be required, and the planetary cycles would need to be advantageous. 

     I also understand there must be other famous people with this Yoga not listed in Wikipedia.  My thesis is simply that those who did rise to the top who were born during the Yoga activation would share the Yoga's strengths and thereby be distinguished from other exceptional achievers.  Here's that list, which I've grouped by occupation and included birth dates with explanatory notes as appropriate.  Note again, that the Yoga activation period is from June 28, 1946 to December 14, 1947

Some Conclusions

      I put the researched data into a Forecast webpage, printed it out and spent another three salad lunches munching in yet another round of the slow, deep absorption.  Integrating the Yoga's planetary symbolism with data into conclusions turned out to be the most challenging and arduous task in this process of discovery.  Forefront in my mind were my editors' admonitions about my propensity for weak endings.  I considered Rocky's example, especially in the movie where he fought the giant Russian.  Well, here's my best shot.

     Keeping in mind the qualities discussed above signified by the Saturn/Rahu Yoga, these people enjoy some remarkable similarities in their actualizing the Yoga. 

     1)  Unique creativity, personal charisma and unusual beauty are evidenced in the predominance of actors, athletes, movie producers and writers.  (Note that all three listed athletes have also been in the movies, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is also a politician.)  Of the three business people, two are in the entertainment business.

     2)  The balance of the list is composed of politicians.  This is a profession requiring the same menu of qualities that made the other Yoga holder types famous.

     3)  All have all been in the limelight for decades.  This is true even of the actresses, who typically have short careers because Western culture values women for youthful beauty.

     4)  All are very tough and relentless, which enabled their success.

     5)  For almost all, success has some sinister, ominous and disruptive quality --  victimizers, violence, dealing with death and destruction.  Tom Delay's nickname is The Hammer, O.J. got away with murder, Steven King mesmerizes with horror, Michael Milken defrauded millions, Andre The Giant's disease made him an ogre.

     6)  The sinister quality many of these people embody has shaped our culture through their influence upon entertainment, business and politics.  (If the effete French knew of this early baby-boomer group, they would label them Les Infants Terrible for creating and exporting degraded American culture.)

     7)  The U.S. presidency has been held since 1992 by two Saturn/Rahu Yoga men, married to women with the Yoga and for whom victimizing is endemic.  (The Yoga's presence in this preeminent office for sixteen years is a definitive argument against coincidence.)   Clinton's nemesis, Yoga-holder Ken Starr, victimized him throughout out presidency, even to the point of impeachment.  In turn, Bill victimized Hillary repeatedly with his affairs.  Bush obviously believes he was dishonored during his failed youth, and yields his presidential power brazenly for self aggrandizement. Bush mistreats even his father by refusing to consult with him.

Practical Predictive Value

     1)  For investment decisions, look for companies or ventures in which these people are involved.  For example, I Want It All Suzanne Somers followed her 1970s TV career with exercise videos and now promotes health products on QVC.  Stock to buy here would be lucrative.  Another investment opportunity is a new Steven Spielberg movie.  Also invest in ventures headed up by the three business people listed.  Trump is running his empire-building Rahu planetary cycle from1999 to 2017.

     2)  For further investment opportunities, look for companies founded during the Yoga activation period.  While that research too is beyond the scope of this Forecast, it tantalizes, for many now dominant businesses must have been opened following World War II.  Chart analysis for the birth of a company is just as valid as that of the birth of a person.

     3)  For personal interactions, when you deal with people holding this Yoga, they will affect you powerfully -- for good, for ill or both -- whether they are famous or not.  Recognizing the Yoga's qualities in these people will support your success and protect you from being victimized.  Generally, you should maintain firm boundaries to disallow intense interactions with them.  Rahu is the head of a snake, whose bite can poison or heal, and Saturn for these people is the planet of karmic retribution.

     4)  For elections, look for candidates with the Yoga running against others without the Yoga.  The former have the power to dominate, with no holds barred.  Further, candidates have victory-insurance if the spouse also has the Yoga, .  (This is because people share karma with their spouses.) 

     Campaigning for the 2006 Congressional midterm elections will begin soon, and while House Speaker Tom Delay and Senator Olympia Snowe are the only Congress people listed, there must be others who will run for reelection having the Yoga.  The 2008 Presidential race can more easily be considered with just the information in this Forecast.  Chuck Hagel (the former head of the voting machine company, AES) is already seen as a likely Republican candidate, although, as mentioned Olympia Snowe also has this winning Yoga.  So does another moderate Republican woman, Christine Todd Whitman.  Any of these people could only be beaten by another Democratic Yoga holder -- Bill Richardson or Hillary Clinton.  Further, if neither candidate in a race has the Yoga, but the spouse of one does, then that candidate would win.  Jack Straw is the only non-American listed, and British politics will continue to be shaped by his influence.

     Doubtless, there are other practical predictive applications to which the Saturn/Rahu Yoga could be applied.  These early baby-boomers are in their peak years, and they will undoubtedly shape our culture, business and politics for another decade, or more.  

     This initial analysis is so striking in its conclusions, that it deserves further research to confirm the findings and apply it to charts of famous people.  This Saturn/Rahu Yoga can be of unparalleled value in understanding societal trends, to guide investments and as a weathervane for political elections.  Keeping in mind the U.S. is running its ten year Moon cycle bringing this second Gilded Age, using the Yoga can be an invaluable analytical tool for safeguarding our future.

     (Note: The malefic nature of the Saturn/Rahu Yoga threatens the results of these associations, as specifically cautioned in #3, personal interactions.  Donald Trump and Michael Milken have cost investors huge amounts.  Also, ethical and moral issues are lower-mind karmas that can be harmful to you.  For example, if Halliburton has the Yoga, any profits you make on its stock would be tainted and thereby would bring negative results.)

Human Consciousness

     I recall in my Vedic Astrology studies reading that a colonial-era English author recognized and acknowledged India's value, stating that no other country has contributed as much to the understanding of human consciousness. 

     That this one Vedic Astrology Yoga can be so illuminating in furthering understanding of contemporary leaders and trend setters in the U.S. is a case in point.  Considering that the Saturn/Rahu Yoga is but one kernel in India's vast granary of wisdom is not only amazing.  It stimulates us to inquire about the countless other seeds of ancient and timeless wisdom sequestered in India for millennia and only now becoming available to grow into the wisdom we need to guide our present and future.  

     In closing, I recall being told once that Indians say one can get pretty good at Vedic Astrology after about fifteen years of slow, deep absorption.  I'll let you readers judge the results of this specific endeavor.  Just please don't ask me to go back into the ring with the giant Russian.