House Party Ends in Shouting, Tears

Last night, I went to one of the Unite for Change House parties for Barack Obama at the home of my hair stylist. She's an Aquarian Moon, so the assembled was a diverse mix of young, middle-aged, old, black, white, gay, straight, tattooed and conservative looking. Many were the clients from the salon. It started with polite small talk over a Low Country Boil, a traditional meal (along the Southeast coast) with red potatoes, corn, pork and shrimp. Then we watched an upbeat campaign video, followed by a speech meant to energize us with hope, from an earnest, just out of college organizer. That was when somebody dropped the F-bomb in reference to Obama's recent reversal -- a decision not to accept public funding. That means he'll rely on private funds, with all the strings that are usually attached to that cash.

This firebrand participant caused the room to explode, with people talking out of turn, and steering the conversation into dark, despairing comments like, "Who really runs this country?", "Do the people have a voice?, and "Are the two parties that different anymore?" It was the most honest, least boring political gathering I've ever attended.

Mercury is direct in Gemini, and on the way to an intense square with Uranus (July 5th). This wedge of tension can lead to sudden shocking disruptions, outbursts, crazy talk, with a few sparks of genius thrown in. Mars is in showy Leo, and there was heartfelt passion, with the ramblings of Gemini setting the stage for spiraly, neverending State of the Union-type comments. Emotions were intense, going into this new Moon in Cancer (with Sun-Venus in Cancer) and it seemed like as a group, we kept getting submerged by what's foul and backed up in the national undercurrents.

Every now and then, someone tried to look on the bright side, but was quickly reminded of the real mess we're in. It seemed like there was no going back to cheery American-style pretending that one man could fix it. The young Obama staffer lost control of the living room audience, started to tear up, and ran out. She later came back, but could not stop crying. There was no resolution, and I left feeling jarred, but like I had been part of something very real. It felt like a dysfunctional family grasping in the dark, and considering whether to stage an intervention. It left me feeling a wee bit of hope.