The Birth Chart of Pope Benedict XVI
New Pope Elected During Mercury Retrograde
By Bracha Goldsmith
One might have thought that with the Mercury retrograde in force that the conclave may have taken many days to reach a decision. I think it was helped along by the fact that the Moon was in Aries and possibly pushed the energy forward.
It's interesting, too, that during the retrograde they have again elected an old Pope. The previous Pope Benedict XVI was 77 when he took office, and Pope Francis is 76. Often things are repeated during retrograde periods. Maybe they will be re-electing another Pope fairly soon.
Let's take a look at his astrological chart. His date of birth is December 17, 1936.
The Sun is in Sagittarius conjunct the North Node. Sagittarius is expansive, the law-giver and the philosopher. This is appropriate for the head of one of the most powerful religious institutions in the world. The conjunction with the North Node gives him a charismatic quality, a leader, teacher, visionary with a metaphysical, higher calling in life. This aspect provides strong personal elevation in this life. It often comes from lack of recognition and self-respect from the recent past life.
With Moon and Venus in Aquarius, he does have quite firm opinions and is not afraid to voice his views. These planets are loosely opposed by Pluto which means the he truly feels the suffering of the poor, the sick, the needy. This is the humanitarian sign and is also future-looking. He may well turn out to be a high-tech Pope and post blogs and tweets keeping the world informed of his actions and intentions.
He has Mercury and Jupiter in Capricorn so it's not surprising that he is known for his austerity. Even after he became Argentina's top church official in 2001, for years, he took public transport around the city, and cooked his own meals.
His Mars is in the diplomatic, balanced, sign of Libra, wanting to find a way through conflicts and to understand the other side's perspective.
He has an opposition between Saturn in Pisces and Neptune in Virgo, which is the axis of service. He has a need to balance taking care of people's spiritual needs (Pisces) and their physical/material needs (Virgo).
At the time of his election, transiting Pluto is conjunct natal Mercury indicating that this has been a time of deep and transformational thinking for him. With this aspect and the fact that he has progressed Moon and Mars in Scorpio, I would imagine that he is going to have to face many issues concerning sexuality and he will need to come up with answers to important issues that are more inclusive rather than divisive.
Another important aspect that is duplicated through both transit and progression is the conjunction of the Sun and Saturn. This indicates the timeliness of his appointment and recognition in his work. He has progressed Sun conjunct natal Saturn in Pisces and also at the time of election, transiting Sun was conjunct natal Saturn in Pisces. This is a powerful indication of authority, leadership and the fruits of intense labour that have been assiduously worked on for many years. Let's hope that the Saturn influence won't stop him from being forward-thinking and that his Aquarian planets will move him to search for new solutions that enable the Church to be more inclusive rather than divisive.
With the Mercury retrograde in place during his election, the Church will need to reinvent itself for the 21st Century and beyond. If it is to survive successfully into the future, it will need to deal more effectively with issues such as abortion, gays and sexuality in general.
Bracha Goldsmith, professional astrologer for over 30 years, gives personal readings to clients worldwide.
She contributes monthly forecasts on YouTube and has a wide audience.
She has a loyal following on You Tube with her free monthly horoscopes.
She hosted her own show on Canterbury Television, Money Talks and is the author of Astrology Made Easy - A Handy Reference Guide
, The Elements - Physical and Metaphysical Astrology
, and Handbook for Surviving the Global Financial Crisis
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Also a qualified financial adviser, she brings a unique mix to the field of astrology with her intuitive astrological knowledge and her practical business experience. Contact Bracha at YourAstrologySigns.com
