What the stars say, in time for the elections

Of the silent generation, of course I became a beatnik, then a hippie, thus tried to open all doors of perception, laid out Tarot cards, threw I Ching coins in lieu of yarrow sticks, and read up on astrology.

I couldn’t go far with that last interest, as it involved what seemed to be mystifying computations and interpretations based on squares, quadrants, sextiles, nodes, conjunctions, grand trines and other stuff too esoteric for a mere bohemian dabbler.

But yes, I read up on Ptolemy, Dr. John Dee, Aleister Crowley, Vedic and Hellenistic Astrology, and browsed through various other works on the zodiac. By the ’70s, writer-mentor Serafin Lanot drew up my first birth chart.

Realizing that I was Piscean, also with a Pisces ascendant and with moon in Cancer, I accepted my liquidity as that of the first water. It meant many fluid things of course, like simply savoring the sounds of terms like stellum, synestry, decombiture, yods, exaltation. That last often led to poetry.

But I still couldn’t chart let alone configure a birth chart, despite being gifted with a much-treasured ephemeris. I have since contented myself with admiring the mathematical and divination skills of extraordinary friends who were also writers.

One was a female buddy whose interpretations partook of Jungian philosophy. She made much sense. Another was the playwright Ed Cabagnot, who was breezy, chatty, but reeked of sage wisdom. So much so that I still regard his current pronouncements, however frequently cryptic, as a font of celestial science.

The last few years, I was fortunate to make the acquaintance of writer Resti Santiago, who specializes in what he calls medieval astrology, and has taken to publishing an annual Astro Clock series of books.

Heading the group Astrology Friends Philippines, Resti has launched his latest notable activity: “Astro Chat,” an FB live broadcast at his Facebook page: Filipino Astrologer. Started last September, he has partnered with Luanne Manlapaz, creator of Filstrology.com, and Bridgette Diaz, founder of UP Esoterica.

With their respective backgrounds in philosophy, psychology and sociology, they banded together and invited everyone to join their livestream discussions. I’ve found these very interesting, especially when they manifested, quite articulately, that astrologers have the “K” to discuss politics.

Resti challenged viewers to go beyond memes, which are quite popular on social media. Bridgette Diaz stressed that FB memes and even Tiktok astrology can be misleading, and that it was necessary to have more thorough discussions on various aspects of astrology.

Luanne Manlapaz said that astrologers are timekeepers who study cyclical patterns of nature, which can help in assessing what is going to happen. She added:

“We correlate certain astrological aspects in the past with current events and current planetary configurations. There are a lot of lessons that we can get from the past. As time chroniclers, astrologers are in a good position to speak up about political issues.”

Another member of Astrology Friends Philippines, Carlota Elauria, said that astrology can’t be separated from the themes of leadership and politics. She cited royals and presidents as having hired astrologers. Among these was Queen Elizabeth I, who employed the famous astrologer, John Dee. Carlota believes that astrology can indeed be used in governance.

In concurrence, Resti points out that mundane astrology (the branch of astrology that deals with national affairs) was in fact developed by medieval astrologers to address the needs of their leaders in governing their kingdoms. The Caliphs of Baghdad, Roman and Byzantine Emperors, kings and queens of medieval Europe all had astrologers in their royal courts as advisers.

In recent “Astro Chat” episodes, other members of Astrology Friends Philippines apart from Elauria have joined in, among them Althea Nicolas and Derick Mallari. The charts of politicians who are running in the 2022 were discussed. Using various astrological methods, they extrapolated the planetary configurations at the birth date of each presidential candidate, and made some initial readings or forecasts.

Resti Santiago emphasized that 2022 will be between Scorpio and Taurus, because these are the eclipsed signs prior to the election period. Mayor Isko is Scorpio while VP Leni Robredo is Taurus.

Derick Mallari opined that Isko Moreno should have a fair chance in 2022, since his Jupiter return is making him lucky in drawing supporters, especially among the moneyed class. Jupiter is the planet of luck and business, after all.

However, Carlota Elauria argued that in May, the South node in Scorpio may eventually affect Isko’s rising popularity, because the South node tends to diminish one’s luck.

She also said that BMM can be a strong contender to Leni for the presidency, but that his Saturn in Aquarius will go against him starting this year. Similar to his experience in the 9th Congress, it can mean lack of recognition. A Saturn influence also means a hindrance to one’s goals.

Everyone agreed that Senator Pacquiao is better off as an athlete because his strongest planet is Mars. They also pointed out that in 2021, those with Sun signs in Sagittarius and Gemini, such as Senators Pacquiao and Lacson, initially dominated the news. They were the first to announce and file their candidacies. Mayor Inday, who had been leading in the early surveys, is also a Gemini.

Noteworthy is that by 2022, the signs that will be in the news may no longer be these two signs (or these individuals). Taurus and Scorpio will be more prominent, with the eclipse energy indicating rising popularity for these two signs.

Resti presented a list of previous presidents with Venus placements in Pisces, Libra, and Taurus. Candidates with any of these placements have an aura of magnetism, among them Marcos, Ramos, GMA and Duterte. Among the current contenders, again it is Mayor Isko and VP Leni who have this astrological signature. Venus means attraction and popularity.

Resti recalled that this actually worked well for the Vice President in 2016, when, from below 10 percent in initial surveys, she eventually became the “last woman standing.” According to him, using a certain predictive technique, which makes Venus her ruler in 2022, her chances of winning are strong.

However, the group emphasized that these are only their initial interpretations and projections. The problem of political or mundane astrologers in the country is the lack of a reliable database of all the presidentiables’ date and, more importantly, time of birth.

Future topics to be discussed on “Astro Chat” (on Wednesdays from 7 to 8:40 p.m.) are: “The Transformative Power of Eclipses” on Nov. 3; “The Signs of Money” on Nov. 10; “Revisiting the Astrology of Elections 2022” on Nov. 17; “The Astrology of the Katipunan” on Nov. 24; “Gift Giving: The Astrological Perspective” on Dec. 1; “The Christmas Star” on Dec. 8;  “Is There Such a Thing as Spiritual Astrology?” on Dec. 15; “The Age of Pisces Gives Way to the Era of Aquarius” on Dec. 22; and “The Astrological Rizal” on Dec. 30.