Pope Francis the 1st - ROSE MARCUS ~ Evolutionary Astrologer ~ ASTROLINK

Data for Pope Francis (Jorge Bergoglio, Argentine):
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Dec 17, 1936 Buenos Aries, Argentina, birth time 9pm;

Sistine Chapel White Smoke (Pope’s election): Mar 13, 2013, Vatican City 7:06 pm (time estimate)

POPE FRANCIS THE FIRST, THE EVOLUTIONARY ASTROLOGY PERSPECTIVE:

Sun in Sagittarius, Moon in Aquarius; Cancer Ascendant.

The soul path of Pluto in the first house suggests a new evolutionary cycle has begun in recent lifetimes and that the individual is meant to continue along a pioneering and experiential path. Along with the Cancer, stepping backward to go forward archetype, Pluto in retrograde also suggests a re-visit and revision mandate. Retrograde motion serves to intensify and accelerate the individuation signature. The chief evolutionary drive is directed toward the development of an internally secure, self consistent, and self preserving emotional foundation. Because it is a relatively new evolutionary impulse, those with Pluto in Cancer have not yet fully learned these lessons. Reflected by one’s environmental circumstances and inner insecurities, unmet needs are a driving force in the current life. Difficult emotional and family histories exist within the subconscious and past life experiences of those with Pluto in Cancer.

The soul will choose the family of origin and life experiences that will prompt the necessary internal probing. Pluto in Cancer is meant to learn that true security and emotional nourishment is found internally, not through the external environment or its trappings. Pluto in Cancer must learn to identify and supply their own emotional needs, to develop and establish an emotionally secure foundation within themselves. In order for this to occur, the individual is likely to experience cycles when support is lacking or needs are not met. The need to nurture or be nurtured has especially deep roots and is never really satisfied or quenched. These perpetuating desires and needs prompt the intended evolution. Regarding the chart of Pope Francis, this Pluto position describes both his personal life journey and what’s at issue for the Catholic Church itself and its followers.

Pluto in retrograde intensifies the emotional journey and the desire to create a more secure and nurturing foundation. Intensified subjective exploration will allow for greater consciousness regarding the internal divides that are at the root of one’s insecurities, needs, and desires.

Born into family of 5 children, it is logical to assume that this Pluto in Cancer did not get all of the nurturance that he may have desired. This early life set-up is a starting prompt for turning inward, for advancing the development of emotional self sufficiency. Note also the complex father signature of Saturn in opposition to Neptune in square to the lunar nodes. His father’s vocation of railway worker is described by this mutable configuration. The mother and nurturance imprint is represented by his Moon/Venus new phase conjunction square Uranus retrograde. While it is likely that he experienced loving and open-hearted relationships with maternal figures and caregivers, the Aquarius moon signature also suggests he has come in to this life with a degree of emotional objectivity and independence already developed. Both the Saturn configuration and Moon configuration describe the family’s immigrant background. Wikipedia quote: Bergoglio’s sister María Elena told reporters decades later that her father often said that “the advent of fascism was the reason that really pushed him to leave” Italy.

The sun is in Sagittarius and conjunct his north node which is ruled by Jupiter in Capricorn. This sun placement suggests he has come into this life with prior developed self knowledge that serves as a base for his decision making, judgement, and conviction. He will naturally utilize this knowledge as a foundation to build and solidify further. Ceres in new phase to Jupiter suggests he is endowed with a natural propensity for infusing new life into what has already been established. The pope has made it his own personal mission to rebirth the believer, to resurrect the faith within the faithful (Jupiter).

The sun gives life to the Sagittarian qualities, experience, and the north node potentials. This Sun position suggests a natural sense of direction and purpose that will steer him readily to the experiences, circumstances, teachers, and teachings that will best facilitate his evolutionary path. This quality also allows him to be a strong guide for others. Both Chiron conjunct the south node and the sun in a fire sign on the north node are indicative of a special mission. He is likely to have always felt a strong sense of destiny and that he was meant to surrender himself for a bigger picture purpose.

Cancer’s ruler, the moon, is in Aquarius and conjunct Venus. This suggests the native is developing more objective awareness and detachment. It is also suggestive of leading a life that personalizes the collective journey.

Among it’s mainly correlations, Aquarius is a signature for select groups of society, from the elite, to the breakaways, marginalized, outcast, disenfranchised, or persecuted. Aquarius is also the sign of the humanitarian, of revolutions and revolutionary times. Pallas Athene in balsamic conjunction to his north node indicates one who is a fighter on behalf of social justice. This moon/Venus suggests he indeed has the potential to revive the church, to radically alter its direction, to utilize both the material and people resources of the church in a way that bears fruit.

The south node in Gemini suggests this individual has sought to gather hands-on information, to learn, to become educated, and to look for rational explanations to quench his emotional thirst and to satisfy his own intellectual needs (Moon in Aquarius, ruler of Cancer). It is likely that he first approached studies in a systematic, rational, and scientific way. (His first vocational studies lead to certification as a chemical technician.)

For his own internal security needs/base, he has sought to source from the authorities of the day, to explore as much as possible in order to develop a sense of absolute security (Mercury in Capricorn). He has looked to gather a rational explanation for his emotions, impressions, sensitivities, and insecurities, to gather information and experience that resonates with his emotional needs, wants, and values. As is implied in his Pluto position and the nodal axis in the mutable Gemini/Sagittarius axis, his investigation has been deliberate and conscious, and it has also been prompted by his instincts and subconscious emotional responses.

Through such a quest comes social purpose and service (Neptune in Virgo opposing Saturn). Note the sun in Sagittarius conjunct the north node; his intuition’s prompt has led him to seek his answers and purpose within philosophical and religious literature. Mercury in Capricorn is the ruler of the south node and Chiron in Gemini; he has gravitated to the contemporary and traditional learning/teachings, one with set guidelines on how to live a spiritual life. This nodal axis chart signature and scholastic drive is well mirrored by his Jesuit background. The Jesuits, sometimes called “God’s Marines”, are well educated, intellectual researchers. They are expected to go anywhere and to live in extreme conditions if necessary. Throughout their history, they have fought for social justice. At times they were out of favour with the church (Saturn opposition Neptune; mutable cross).

Mercury in Capricorn relative to Saturn in Pisces (a signature for religion and Christianity) is suggestive of a body of thought/knowledge that considers itself an ultimate authority on spiritual matters; an extension of god/god’s law on earth. Capricorn is also an archetype of right conduct, of judgement based on right and wrong standards, rules defined by man and society, and the guilt that this accrues within the crystallized consciousness.

It terms of administrative involvement, he has assumed his leadership role as a Vatican outsider. He has been quoted as limiting his time in Rome to “lightening visits”. (Note Moon/Venus square Uranus retrograde; Venus and Uranus are in mutual reception.) He has already deviated from some formalities (Aquarius moon/Venus) and is already proving that he has new ideas for the stewardship of church. Will he change the status quo with respect to internal church governance? How will he address the internal alleged corruption? So far, his first house Pluto and Venus/Moon conjunction seem to be wasting no time.

A south node in Gemini is one of a restless information quest. Relative to ruler Mercury in Capricorn, it suggests the continuous search for a right or definitive answer, for a missing key. He has sought diverse information and experience, yet there is an intuitive recognition (North node, Jupiter in Capricorn) that it is limited in scope. This restless urge suggests a core anxiety, a sense of knowing that there “must be more than this” (Sagittarius polarity.)

When the nodes are in Gemini/Sagittarius, there is a conflict between the information intake and the intuitive, the left and right brain sensors, between what is learned and what is intuitively perceived. This nodal axis references a polarization between ideologies and truths, between formal education and intuitive knowledge, between the realm of appearances and the actualizing of reality. In other words, the mutable cross involving Neptune, Saturn, Chiron and the nodes is suggestive of spiritual dilemma.

The Chiron archetype correlates to the split between the rational and the instinctual selves, between the flesh/body and the spirit.

When Chiron is linked to the nodal axis, it is a signature of a specific karmic thread that is seeking integration and healing. It is indicative of living through exceptional circumstances in past lives and also of setting up the current life for something beyond the ordinary. Chiron’s balsamic relationship to south node is suggestive of a key lifetime, and a repetition of karmic dynamics. It is a relive, fruition, or relive/fruition signature.

The sun’s conjunction to the north node doubles-up on the theme of a special karmic mission. The Sagittarius sun/north node opposition to Chiron points to a worldly mission with a potential to influence a multitude. A sense of destiny, déjà vu or familiarity accompanies the consciousness, the life. Whether sensed vaguely or recognized openly,

parallels can be drawn to another lifetime. (There are a number of parallels to draw from the life of St. Francis too.) The native is likely to feel that something particularly significant and key is being repeated or revisited. Chiron is an archetype of the extraordinary messenger, of teachings, teachers, and a healing or healer’s path.

Chiron is also a signature for controversy. Pope Francis was accused of not doing enough to save two Jesuits priests who were captured and tortured during Argentina’s “dirty war” in 1976. According to his biographer, he worked secretly behind the scenes (Neptune in Virgo) and may have been instrumental in gaining their release. Two days after he was elected pope, Franz Jalic, one of the two who were captured, issued a statement to clear the negative speculation on the pope. The pope has stated that during that time he was active in sheltering people on church property and that he once gave his own identity papers (Gemini south node) to a man who looked like him so that he could flee (Sagittarius) Argentina.

Befitting of Neptune in Virgo opposing Saturn in Pisces, (from Wikipedia): In 2000, he asked the entire Church in Argentina to put on garments of public penance for the sins committed during the years of the dictatorship.In one of his last acts as head of the Argentine Catholic bishops’ conference, Bergoglio issued a collective apology for the church’s failure to protect its flock” from Argentina’s military dictatorship decades earlier.

Chiron retrograde in Gemini suggests he comes into this life with special gifts. He displays approachability, an easy communication style, and a ready emotional rapport, (Pluto in Cancer relative to south node/Chiron in the 3rd). His personable manner has already charmed the public. His fluency in Italian (his family of origin background; Sagittarius, language proficiency) has charmed the country. His natural humility (Neptune in Virgo), dismissal of formalities, ability to dissolve boundaries, (Saturn in Pisces), simple words, humour, casual, and spontaneous approach (Gemini/Sagittarius nodes; Moon/Venus in Aquarius) are already resulting in an excellent approval rating.

Both personal and collective in nature, his Aquarius moon conjunct Venus alludes to significant trauma imprinting as part of his subconscious memory pool. Venus in square aspect to and mutual reception with Uranus retrograde in Taurus alludes to life and death struggles, and past epochs of persecution. At the age of 21, he suffered from life-threatening pneumonia and cysts and had part of one lung removed. Lungs are Gemini ruled (note Chiron/south node in Gemini, Mercury ruled by Saturn opposing Neptune in Virgo.) Chiron’s past life cellular memory traumas are often translated into the physical body as chronic conditions, physical weaknesses, diseases, or handicaps. We can speculate that the pope’s lung condition correlates to a past life trauma connected to unresolved grief or the wounds of a battle/invasion. One could also draw a speculative parallel to the concept of carrying stigmata – cellular memory wounds. Historians speculate that St Francis’ stigmata were the result of a chronic physical condition.

Capricorn is the polarity point of Pluto in Cancer, suggesting the evolutionary intention is to arrive at a state of absolute emotional maturity and security, to become self referencing and self directed. The evolutionary imperative requires that he become his own authority, rather than to accept external authority or external answers. His philosophy of lead by example (Mercury in Capricorn, the effective administrator) has been demonstrated through out his career, and he has “hit the ground running” since he has been elected pope.

The rulers of the nodes, Jupiter and Mercury in new phase to each other and the north node suggest that the past and future are intertwined, that new development/evolutionary progress has been recently occurred and that this lifetime is a continuation of that which has already begun. The sun on the north node also indicates a growth of consciousness of natural law, the “true way”. This consciousness is intuitive and in the process of developing self realization. Ceres in Capricorn situated between the rulers, ruled by Saturn in Pisces, suggests a fresh seed of God realization is stirring too.

The nodal rulers in Capricorn suggest this a time is ripe moment not only for the Pope’s personal mission but also for the church’s rebirth. Sagittarius is an archetype of delivering the message to a ready and willing audience. To bring spiritual comfort and to champion the poor, the weak, the downtrodden, is not a new mission for the church, or for one on a spiritual path, but it is one that the Pope is revitalizing (nodal rulers in new phase aspect).

As stated above, Jupiter in Capricorn is newly building, newly authenticating what it senses as truth, the true path. Pallas Athene in balsamic conjunction to the north node and also in gibbous phase to Chiron retrograde is suggestive of the spiritual warrior, of spiritual leadership, and of fighting for justice. Pallas Athene can also be correlated to third-eye consciousness. A gibbous phase references a path of service, and is also indicative of unfinished business. This Pallas/Chiron opposition is suggestive of championing the plight of the marginalized, the common folk, the disenfranchised, the “walking wounded”. Even so, when distorted, Gemini/Sagittarius is not an all encompassing polarity but one of selective reasoning, viewing, or targeting. It is not inclusive of the whole.

The Capricorn archetype (both the south and node rulers) also correlates to conservatism and hypocrisy. Chiron is a signature for controversy. The pope is known for radical conservatism and seems to be somewhat evangelical in his zeal for taking up the plight of the poor, but he is not yet inclusive of all of humanity. Despite a suggestion for a level of tolerance for homosexuals, Pope Francis has already made his views crystal clear on gay marriage, gay adoption, abortions, contraceptives, and women in the church. The nodal axis and its rulers ignite a contradiction of expanding/broadening yet closed/walled/restrictive at the same time.

Pluto in Cancer is still working on gender assignment issues. The issue of gender in-equality in the church is referenced by the Pope’s Pluto in Cancer, relative to Chiron in Gemini/south node.

In accepting the director’s chair, the Pope also inherits the shameful and abhorrent sexual violations crises that have plagued the church throughout its history. This is described by Saturn’s gibbous opposition to Neptune in Virgo (victimization) in houses 8/2, both of which square the nodal axis and Chiron. As has been well documented, this crisis has always been rampant (Pisces to the mutable nodes), but it has been muffled, suppressed (Saturn; Mercury in Capricorn) and denied (Neptune in Virgo.) Saturn’s gibbous opposition to Neptune in Virgo suggests the unfinished business of reconciling with the masses and internal clean-up within the church. Greater accountability and atonement are a necessity. A purification process is stimulated by this mutable cross; open acceptance, tolerance, and forgiveness for all are also of the essence. At this early stage in his new role but advanced time in his career, he has not indicted a willingness to address change regarding gay marriage or women’s ordination. We have yet to see how the pope will address the church’s sex scandals. Chiron suggests wounds that never heal. Certainly those souls who have been violated will continue to carry deep scars. The church carries the scaring too. Chiron’s best cure is found through moving forward; the weaving or integration of experience into new experience eventual leads to healing. Experience is the best teacher.

While the pope seems to enjoy being “in the trenches”, his life seems to have been one of a serendipitous flow into positions of influence. We can only assume that his influence will grow. Perhaps Chiron on south node and the last quarter phasal aspect (crisis in consciousness) between moon/Venus square Uranus retrograde will create the necessary circumstances to prompt the repair work regarding social imbalances (Mars in Libra, ruled by Venus.) True to the indirect nature of (Pluto in) Cancer and Chiron, perhaps he will come to face the more controversial of today’s issues surreptitiously. Hopefully he will not side-step them. These critical matters are the unfinished karma priorities of both Saturn and Neptune in square aspect to the nodal axis.

Pope Francis was elected by his colleagues as Pluto was transiting his seventh house Mercury (ruler of south node/Chiron), and Ceres was transiting his south node. Among its many correlations, Ceres correlates to a theme of resurrection. There is great hope (Neptune; Pisces) pinned on this pope that he signals a new era (Capricorn) for the church, that he will plant a fertile seed (Ceres) and that it will produce a lush field

The south node in Gemini is suggestive of repetition or duplication, of things coming around twice. Interestingly, he was a top contender last conclave too, but begged not to be chosen. Saturn in gibbous opposition to Neptune in Virgo and square the nodal axis ignites the crisis of: “I’m not ready, this is too big for me”, a sense of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the job (Neptune square north node). We could surmise that the inner crisis might ignite a worry that the job could swallow him up and take him away from the personal one on one contact that seems to tug at his heart so deeply (Sun in Sagittarius, relative to Jupiter, relative to Saturn in Pisces). Although he may have not consciously intended to choose it, he has taken to is enormous leadership role displaying great natural grace and humility (Saturn in Pisces/Neptune opposition).

Skipped Steps:

There are two skipped steps in this chart. Saturn in Pisces finds resolution in the north node, facilitated by its ruler Jupiter in Capricorn (3/4 phase to Saturn, a wide quintile). Neptune in Virgo finds resolution via the south node and the south node ruler, Mercury in Capricorn (in ¼ trine to Neptune.) Saturn is in gibbous opposition to Neptune.

Skipped steps represent critical thresholds/unresolved issues from the past that are of karmic priority/necessity.

Saturn in Pisces is a signature for organized religion. Pisces is directly linked to Christianity. Saturn in Pisces is the ruler of the south node ruler (Mercury in Capricorn.) Pisces ruler, Neptune is in Virgo, which is ruled by Mercury in Saturn – a closed circuit. Mercury is in a ¼ trine to Neptune (an action aspect) and a last quarter sextile to Saturn. The last quarter sextile offers creative opportunity to reform internally; to rebuild the infrastructure of the system, to shift the crystallizations of the conditioned consciousness and to make effective change regarding the actual reality.

Noting Saturn in Pisces, it would be natural to assume that in past lives as is also the case now that the native would have come to recognize the church’s teachings as the ultimate authority on spiritual matters, as embodying or being the definitive agent (Mercury in Capricorn) for god’s wishes on earth. Saturn in Pisces relative to Mercury in Capricorn, ruler of the south node, suggests that he is repeating a vocational path chosen in other lives. Relative to the south node information, we can surmise that there was a time he would have accepted the church as his ultimate authority, following the rules and surrendering himself (Saturn in Pisces) without question. This Saturn in Pisces suggests an unconscious projection/expectation that he could find security, peace, and ultimate fulfillment within church dogma; that he assumed he could get all his training, vocational and spiritual needs met in one place. He would expect that his training and the belief system was whole, complete, and perfect, that he would feel totally embraced, enveloped, and satiated within this organized whole. Saturn’s square to the nodal axis suggest reaching a conflict in this regard. The pope’s chart is also indicative of the contemporary state of affairs for both the church and for the masses.

Relative to the north node information, there have likely been nomadic times of searching for god and truth on his own, of monastic or secluded lives, (Pisces, monasteries; Sagittarius & Chiron representing the solitary journey) and also secular ones of social “in the trenches” (Gemini south node, Moon/Venus in Aquarius).

Saturn in square to the Gemini/Sagittarius nodes suggests that over time, exposure to actual reality would conflict with his conceptualization of reality and would start to disturb his inner peace. A spiritual crisis is ignited by this configuration. The skipped step reveals the conflict between embracing the teachings and witnessing the actualizing of those teachings. Perhaps he would have been exposed to “do as I say, not as I do” authority. Saturn is in ¾ square aspect to the south node in Gemini/Chiron conjunction. This crisis in consciousness pertains to the intake of information that intuitively feels contradictory or limited (s. node, ruler of south node Mercury in Capricorn). The observation of behaviour, experience, and lifestyle may not have been entirely in keeping with what he desired, or what perceived to be the true expression of Christ’s teachings (Pisces.) Instead he likely found himself exposed to what he perceived as duality, contradiction, untruths; an appearance of piety rather than true devotion. Materialism, self-serving, corruption and sexual scandal have been a large, and largely suppressed, component of the church’s history. Thus, the skipped step: a crisis in action/crisis in consciousness dilemma. The conditionings and crystallized judgements of prior lives are now at a critical threshold. For Saturn’s resolution, the north node in Sagittarius must be applied. The evolutionary intent in this signature is for the native to expand knowledge and experience outside the confines of a monastic life and church walls (Saturn in Pisces), to allow room for an exploration of that which he is intuiting, to allow room for growth of the impressions he is receiving, to allow himself to veer away from convention/tradition, from what was and is considered appropriate devotional service.

Saturn’s first quarter square to the north node (crisis in action) suggests that growing perceptions lead him to question and explore beyond his formal training and knowledge base. Most likely he felt the calling of higher truths and the desire to expand his personal relationship to the divine. This expansion prompt likely led him to surrender to a path of service in a larger, broader format. To follow this yearning might have called for him to relinquish the trappings of the system in order to practice his faith in a more natural, active, daily, and direct contact way. What is right conduct and god’s will? Saturn in Pisces suggests an ideological and spiritual/philosophical conflict, that his ultimate sense of meaning was not quenched by the church’s doctrine, rules, methods, or traditions. This dilemma created/creates the needed to expand and explore beyond the confines of the organization. The skipped step suggests a flip/flop between rationalizing and justifying his experience, of following what he had been taught, and recognizing how far the vocational path had/has veered from the true path/true intention; that progressively he was growing more alienated from his training, and growing beyond the limited scope of the organized system. In other words, he would receive mixed messages from his own consciousness regarding what it meant to dedicate his life to his chosen path of service. By extension, his own spiritual dilemma personifies the work he has been called to do on behalf of the Catholic Church. Church policies, dualities, and controversies have alienated many would-be followers. It appears Pope Francis has made it his personal mission to be the ultimate sheepherder.

Saturn is in a gibbous opposition to Neptune in Virgo, suggesting he has more work to do in reconciling with his inner perceptions and his outer experience; his conflict regarding his conditioning, his inner judge, his conscience, and his outer reality. He must also reconcile the masses perceptions of the inner and outer Church administrations.

Neptune in Virgo is suggestive of a consciousness of natural humility, and an ultimate path of service. Neptune’s opposition to Saturn and trine to south node ruler, its own ruler, also suggest inner judgements (trine to Mercury in Capricorn), that can lead one to adopt and glorify spiritual masochism. This Saturn/Neptune opposes correlates to a crisis in faith, tests of faith. Following the indoctrination (Mercury in Capricorn) of the distorted Christian beliefs (Chiron conjunct the south node opposite Sagittarian north node) would have allowed for this native to embrace the ideology of personal denial, personal penance, suffering precluding enlightenment, and flesh as antagonistic to spirit (sexual abstinence.) In keeping with the contemporary values of the religion of the times, the popular view of the ultimate spiritual life is one of sacrifice and service. To relinquish worldly reward for spiritual reward is a classic foundation philosophy of man-made religion.

Neptune’s skipped step is resolved through the south node in Gemini (Chiron retrograde balsamic conjunction.) Here we see the spiritual dilemma brought forward from past lives – the conflict of serving the religion (Sagittarius) or serving the people (Gemini), that has reached an extreme/a crisis point (the skipped step). Serving the religion or serving the people are not sufficiently synthesized, not yet one and the same thing. The south node relative to ruler Mercury engaged in a ¼ trine to Neptune is suggestive of the necessity to act on his inner messages/inner guide. It provides a sense of rightness of action in decision making, for rationalization or justification that allow for him to act in a self autonomous or take charge way. It provides him with the natural leadership skills to think and act independently, a natural propensity to see the flaws and to improve the system, rather than to follow a system that is not in keeping with what his inner consciousness (Neptune) suggests is the true path of service. The true path of service is one of fulfilling the true need, of helping the seeker and the needy, those in lack both spiritually and physically – i.e. the poor, the disenfranchised, the outcast, the marginalized, the sick or weak. And yet, as stated above, he has not yet found within his consciousness the ability to accept all, not all are considered worthy as of yet, (i.e. women in the church and homosexuals.) Part of the spiritual duality is that of glorifying one over another. (The poor are revered, but not “lepers” –in other words, the gays?)

The rulers of the nodes conjunct in new phase aspect suggests he has recently begun and is continuing a new level of relying and acting on his own inner authority. He displays independence in simple and everyday routines by rejecting some of the perks afforded his position, the limousine, the gold cross, etc and insisting as he has done in the past, to take the bus, cook for himself, and so on. Since becoming pope, he has immediately veered away from formal expectations and is already doing it his way.

This Neptune in Virgo also must reconcile with the imperfections of the organized whole and the concepts of perfection, purification, of deserving of god’s grace. These issues are confronted through the church itself, where he is exposed to opulence, controversy, duality, bigotry, and corruption within the organized whole. He must confront his own judgements/hypocrisy regarding right and wrong, on what is socially (Gemini) and morally (Sag/Cap) “correct”. Although Saturn in Pisces and Neptune in Virgo suggests compassion and tolerance for all, he is not yet encompassing the whole. He has taken on the ultimate service role on behalf of his faith, and is already showing independent leadership, but has yet to accept women into ordination, or to accept homosexuality as a natural state for some. The Sagittarian influence suggests an extremist tendency. This extremist philosophy may have created wounding/controversy for him in the past. Certainly the Catholic Church will not want to give away its wealth – or to come clean on all of its secrets. In addition to reformulating inner judgement, Mercury/Jupiter new phase is learning a new level of temperance or moderation.

These issues are also the public’s conflicts with the church.

Chiron is an outcast or scapegoat archetype. Relative to south node & ruler, it is a suggestion of tolerance and acceptance for some, but not all. Pluto in Cancer can be suggestive, (not always) of incest, of grooming of children; the Gemini archetype references youth. As of yet, we do not know if Pope Francis will avoid this problem, clean it up quietly, or champion it.

Neptune in Virgo is a victimization archetype, and Chiron on the south node indicates repetition in terms of crisis and controversy, deep wounding from the past brought into this one. Neptune resolving through the south node/Chiron point is suggestive of again being confronted with crisis and dilemma which is seeking resolution. The south node work is to gather more information and experience. The increasing frequency, commonality and repetition of scandal and corruption is meant to force a confrontation with the rationalizations that have suppressed or denied the truth. Eventually, the native will no longer be able to divert attention off these critical issues. The south node calls for making connections with people and listening to their stories. Personal interaction with others will be a major teaching tool.

Chiron/south node in Gemini/Sagittarius references transitional times. Looking back to other lives, Chiron in Gemini can reference times of inquisition. Sagittarius is an invasion archetype, and Capricorn is an archetype of dictatorship and regimes. Saturn opposing Neptune is also a signature of religious persecutions of the past. It is likely that past lives connected to missionary lives, such as that of St. Francis of Assisi, times of Christian persecution, slavery, Spanish inquisition, migrations of peoples, etc. In addition to a religious focus on saving souls, the Neptune/Saturn, Gemini/Sagittarius signature can suggests past life involvement in secretly moving people to safety (the catacombs, secret passages, etc.)

Skipped Steps:

Skipped steps represent critical thresholds/unresolved issues from the past that are of karmic priority/necessity.

These issues are also the public’s conflicts with the church.

(**This paragraph is a repetition from the end of the first section.) The south node in Gemini is suggestive of repetition or duplication, of things coming around twice. (Many parallels can be made to the life of St. Francis of Assisi too.) Interestingly he was a top contender last conclave too, but begged not to be chosen. Saturn in gibbous opposition to Neptune in Virgo and square the nodal axis ignites the crisis of: “I’m not ready, this is too big for me”, a sense of being overwhelmed by the enormity of the job (Neptune square north node). We could surmise that the inner crisis might ignite a feeling that the job could swallow him up and take him away from what he feels is the right work, the trench work – the personal one on one contact that seems to tug at his heart so deeply (Sun in Sagittarius, relative to Jupiter, relative to Saturn in Pisces). Yet, at the same time, he also senses his special mission (Chiron & Sun positions); he has been chosen, he has not chosen it for himself. The Chiron and sun positions also suggest, as he has already displayed, that he has taken to his enormous leadership role with natural grace (Saturn in Pisces/Neptune opposition), like a duck to water.~~

News:

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina, who will be known as Pope Francis, has been selected as Pope of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

He is the first Pope from the Americas and the first from outside Europe in more than a millennium.

A stunned-looking Bergoglio shyly waved to the crowd of tens of thousands of people who gathered in St. Peter’s Square, marvelling that the cardinals had had to look to “the end of the earth” to find a bishop of Rome.

He asked for prayers for himself, and for retired Pope Benedict XVI, whose stunning resignation paved the way for the tumultuous conclave that brought the first Jesuit to the papacy. The cardinal electors overcame deep divisions to select the 266th pontiff in a remarkably fast conclave.

The 76-year-old was reportedly the runner-up to Benedict during the last conclave. He is well-known for his humility and espouses church teachings on homosexuality, abortion and contraception. He has no Vatican experience.

Speaking to thousands of elated worshippers packed into St. Peter’s Square, the new Pope said that the world should set off “on a path of love and fraternity,” according to a translation provided by Reuters. He asked the faithful to pray to God for him.

French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran stood on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica and announced `’Habemus Papum” — ‘We have a pope!’ ” — slightly before Francis’s appearance, revealing the identity of the new pontiff by using his Latin name.

CBC’s chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge, reporting from the square, said the decision was “a stunner.

“The crowd is clearly stunned, unsure of what this means,” he said.

The new pope was selected after four ballots failed to produce a winner during a conclave that began Tuesday.

The emergence of white smoke from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican shortly after 7 p.m. local time in Rome indicated to the world that cardinals had elected a new head of the Roman Catholic Church.

Elated crowds in St. Peter’s Square screamed as the white smoke emerged, under a sea of umbrellas on a cold and sometimes rainy evening.

According to Church protocol, the newly elected Pope was fitted for his white cassock, and the other cardinals in the conclave each individually swore obedience to him.

Before he appeared on a balcony overlooking the square, the new pope stopped to pray in the Pauline Chapel.

The conclave drama unfolded against the backdrop of the turmoil unleashed by Benedict’s surprise resignation and the exposure of deep divisions among cardinals who grappled with whether they needed a manager to clean up the Vatican’s dysfunctional bureaucracy or a pastor who can inspire Catholics at a time of waning faith and growing secularism.

The cardinals, chosen by either Benedict XVI or John Paul II, swore an oath of secrecy ahead of the conclave, and anyone who communicates details about the process risks excommunication.

For more than a week before the voting, the cardinals met privately to try to figure out who among them had the stuff to be pope and what his priorities should be.

The cardinals, chosen by either Benedict XVI or John Paul II, swore an oath of secrecy ahead of the conclave, and anyone who communicates details about the process risks excommunication.

For more than a week before the voting, the cardinals met privately to try to figure out who among them had the stuff to be pope and what his priorities should be.

Personal Background (From Wikipedia):

Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, one of the five children of Italian immigrants. His father Mario Jose Bergoglio was a railway worker and his mother Regina Maria Sivori, a housewife. At the age of 21 Bergoglio had a lung removed as a result of an infection. He studied and received a master’s degree in chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires before he decided to pursue an ecclesiastical career.

As cardinal, Bergoglio became known for personal humility, doctrinal conservatism and a commitment to social justice. A simple lifestyle contributed to his reputation for humility. He lived in a small apartment, rather than in the palatial bishop’s residence. He gave up his chauffeured limousine in favor of public transportation, and he reportedly cooked his own meals. He is against gay marriage, abortion, and women’s ordination.
Controversy: In 1976, He was accused of not doing enough to help 2 Jesuit priests who were captured and tortured in Argentina’s “Dirty War”. Two days after he was elected pope, one of the priests issued a statement to clear up negative speculation. In 2010, Bergoglio told biographer Sergio Rubin that he often sheltered people from the dictatorship on church property, and on one occasion gave his identity papers to a man who looked like him, to enable the recipient to flee Argentina.
According to Wikipedia: In 2000, he asked the entire Church in Argentina to put on garments of public penance for the sins committed during the years of the dictatorship. In one of his last acts as head of the Argentine Catholic bishops’ conference, Bergoglio issued a collective apology for the church’s failure to protect its flock” from Argentina’s military dictatorship decades earlier.

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