The Taxman Cometh:
The Moon and Saturn Meet Up in Virgo on April 15
By Shelley L. Ackerman
[From my 'Shimmering Stars' column in
The Westchester Guardian, © 2008]

“If you drive a car, I'll tax the street,
If you try to sit, I'll tax your seat.
If you get too cold I'll tax the heat,
If you take a walk, I'll tax your feet.”
- From “The Taxman”
- By George Harrison of The Beatles
In a horoscope, sex, death, and taxes all fall under the same Scorpio (or eight house) rulership. All three are in some way unavoidable, Despite what the New Testament says about the virgin birth of Jesus, IMO no one is born without sex, leaves Planet Earth alive, or gets away without paying some kind of tax.
And though many of us talk a big game, when it comes down to chucking everything and opting for a simpler life, or a civilization without the structure and services we’ve come to expect and depend on, few of us willing to give up our beloved creature comforts and guilty pleasures for a tax-free existence. So we stick with the familiar, suck it up, and blow off steam however and wherever we can.
The 16th Amendment, giving congress the power to collect income tax, came into law on Feb 3, 1913. But it wasn’t until 1955, that April 15th, the day that Abraham Lincoln died (1865) and the Titanic sank (1912), became the deadline for filing tax returns.
On Tax Day ’08, the Moon/Saturn conjunction in Virgo is dry and practical, an astrologically appropriate bean-counter’s dream. But the aspect’s austerity alludes to the belt tightening that lies before us.
“Our (huge) profits are in line with those of other industries”, so argued the top five oil executives before a House Committee, appropriately enough on April Fool’s Day.
They appeared before congress to defend their obscene tax breaks and to lobby for a continuance of those benefits, while earning $123 billion last year as the price of gas creeps to a highly unaffordable $4 a gallon.
In 2007, many oil executives earned bonuses in the tens of millions of dollars. One can’t help but wonder how some of that money (or tax revenues) might have been used to help transition us from oil to more sustainable sources of energy (and slow global warming), or to offset and perhaps prevent some of the horrendous foreclosures that continue to devastate so many families.
Last week 81% of those responded to a new NY Times/CBS poll said that “things have pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track,” and that the country is headed in the wrong direction. According to the report, the dissatisfaction is especially striking because public opinion usually hits this kind of a low point only in the months and years after an economic downturn, not at the beginning of one.
Even though most experts agree that a recession has already begun, from an astrological perspective, we are relatively okay financially through most of 2008 and even the beginning of 2009. But as 2009-11 nears, and we see the approaching T-square configuration between the planets Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto, and we can’t help but be reminded of what took place in 1930-31, when the worldwide economic devastation led to World War II.
Amy Goodman’s interview this week with author Raj Patel is a standout. It provided shocking insight into the world hunger crisis and the stunning symmetry between starvation and obesity. (Can you imagine the Food Channel in many parts of the world)? Patel’s new book, “Stuffed and Starved: the Hidden Battle for the World Food System” is a must read.

ONE purpose of astrology or any means of divination or prognostication, is to use the information to prepare and to avert a disaster. And although the Senate passed a by-partisan housing package to help ease the plight of over one million home owners facing foreclosure, astrologers know that Pluto has only just begun to transit Capricorn and is currently being well supported by Saturn. That will change in less than two years.
The candidates running for President all talk about change. But as long as they accept funding from oil companies, pharmaceutical companies, and big business in general (and they ALL do), none are free from the obligation to repay their benefactors with favors once elected. If they don’t ‘cooperate’, they tend to not live very long.
The only candidate in this campaign who was 100% clean and incorruptible was Congressman Dennis Kucinich from Ohio. He was kept out of most of the debates and sadly, but for the exception of independent outlets such as DemocracyNow.org, his voice was all but silenced. John Edwards was a close second, and though he has dropped out of the race for president, I don’t think we’ve heard the last of him.
According to astrologer Jacob Schwartz Ph.D who accurately predicted the specifics of the outcome of the Presidential election in 2000 between Bush and Gore, Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are in a dead heat. Based on little known asteroids, Jacob says to keep an eye on a dark horse named Joe Biden. Even though the Senator from Delaware dropped out of the race in January, the asteroid ‘Bidenia’ is moving favorably towards the White House.
Stay tuned: In the coming weeks, much will be revealed.

Chart: First Quater Moon
Click for larger view
ARIES: As a rule, you’re most at home in the eye of a storm. But this week, you’re cast in the unlikely role of referee and loving it! Who’d have imagined that learning how the other half lives could be such a blast? You’ve discovered a lot about yourself in the past few months, and perhaps most surprising is that you have much more patience and (dare I say) maturity than you ever realized. So how do you like your new job?
TAURUS: For some reason, tax season is especially stressful for you this year, and it needn’t be. You’re better organized than you think, and even if you’re not, you can fake it better than anyone. Worth considering: is whether or not it’s best for you to file a single return, even if you’re married. And if you’re single, two eyes are better than one- meaning, have a pro do it and then go over it yourself. Once this is out of the way, look into an overseas investment property that you’ll be able to get for a song.
GEMINI: As far as finances go, you’re sick and tired of being on a restricted diet with no carbs or sweets. But until Saturn goes direct (after May 2), you need to curb your spending and make home and family a priority. This doesn’t have to be the dreary death sentence that you think it is. Au contraire! If you surrender to the process, the benefits will override any inconvenience ten to one. A boss or authority figure traveling overseas calls with good news.
CANCER: A little Zen goes a long way. Expect your imagination and your moods to run the gamut from A to Z and back (in more than one language) this weekend, so have a plan in place in case you start bouncing off the walls. One idea is to take a kick boxing or shadow boxing class with a seasoned pro. As crazy as it sounds, you’ll need to externalize this energy, or it’ll overwhelm you. Walking is better than nothing: If writing’s your thing, go for it, but don’t act on any of it without a reality check from someone you trust.
LEO: It’s not your style to sit on the sidelines and let life happen without your glowing input. But since so much is going on behind the scenes and beyond your scope of vision, the less said the better- at least for now. Being in a frustrating holding pattern is never fun, but it’s what you have to do. By the second week in May, this will all lift and you’ll back in full swing and loving it.
VIRGO: Bean counters of the world, unite! It’s your time of year to gloat, but don’t. While everyone around you is tortured by the tax-filing deadline, you’re experiencing a strange calm. The tense aspect between disparate parts of your chart- the part that wants to play and the part that is a tax genius are at odds and there’s only one way to get them in sync. Join the party at the Post office on April 15th. Bring champagne, dress up, and find a spot at the main Post Office and hold court between 8 PM and midnight.
LIBRA: This just in from the topsy turvy department: If you’re moved to stay late at work this Friday night, you’re not nuts- do it. The Moon/Mars meet up at the top of your chart isn’t the kind of energy one can easily relax into but it’s great for cutting through obstacles with passion and precision. So wherever you happen to be, take aim and channel the emotional intensity at hand into something productive. A heated discussion with a partner culminates in a resolution that brings you closer.
SCORPIO: Be careful of your own strength. Without meaning to, you could really clobber somebody and knock the wind out of their sails for good. This especially pertains to people you work with, or anyone in a service position. By the same token, your magic is at a peak this weekend, and you have what it takes to sway others to see what you want them to see and to act on it. Use your might and influence wisely.
SAGITTARIUS: Someone close to you will repeat themselves ad nauseum, but as inane as their incessant chatter is, some of what they’re going on about proves to be important for you to hear. So don’t shut down when you should be listening. By the same token, something that you’ve been trying to get across, finally is heard and you inadvertently save the day. Please-no matter what, don’t say “I told you so”, it’s so annoying.
CAPRICORN: This is the one phrase to live by for the next few days: Pick your battles, or better yet- don’t get involved in any crossfire. Your busy schedule deems it impossible to dodge all the insanity that those in your sphere toss your way, but you don’t have to catch any of it, nor should you. Your ruling planet (Saturn) has a little more than three weeks to go before leaving its compromised retrograde phase. And when it does, look out! The strength you’ve built since late November will blow any one who even tries to mess with you clear out of the water.
AQUARIUS: You’ve been on edge and more worried than usual for no particular reason. Part of it, is the Saturn retro in your 8th house of sex, death, taxes, and other people’s money and you’re consumed with your own mortality. But why dwell on what we mortals have no control over? Along similar lines. if you space out and have more senior moments than usual, not to worry- your close friends have you covered. As a matter of fact, you will feel more loved and provided for in the next couple of weeks than you have in your entire life. So there!
PISCES: Books like “The Secret” encourage visualizing what we want and urge us to cultivate an expectation of our needs being continuously met. Well, all that’s well and good, but how are you supposed to respond to a situation (or person in your life) that has been stuck for months? You have no choice but to graciously wait it out. Within a very short period of time, your “Wall of Jericho” will come tumbling down. That’s a promise.