Joseph Ratzinger

b. 16 April 1927, Northern hemisphere

Hour unknown. Cusp between TO8 Day 7 2:7 and TO8 Day 8 2:8

see also Pope John Paul II

    Observations

Day 7 2:7

Ratzinger's election has thrown a fascinating light on the Papacy itself. The hour of Ratzinger's birth is, at the time of writing, unknown. On the day of his birth, at around 10:00am the TO8 Minor 7 changes to Minor 8. The fact that a 2:8 is also, among others, Hitler's sign, is too much of coincidence to believe. I think it most likely that he is a 2:7 (and therefore born before 10:00), which means that at the moment of his election to the Papacy he was in his Resolutions of 4:1 - the same as John Paul II (a 2:5 also resolves to 4:1). Can it be any coincidence that the Cardinals elected a new pope ruled by the same personality expression as the previous one? The Cardinals are obviously very aware of the sex issues (and they should be) surrounding the Catholic Church and may think that unless they have at their head a man who is particularly sensitized to these issues, the traditional theology of the Church will dissolve into a mess. The meaning of sex needs to be clarified and the function of priestly celibacy has to be spelt out. In previous ages, enforcing celibacy was a way to tidy up the politics and the nepotism of cardinals and popes with their children and their political families. Although he's down on homosexuality, the matter of women priests will remain low on the agenda. Ratzinger, once a realist who understands the way the wind blows, now dreams of a disciplined bureaucratic purity. He may, however, end up encouraging the wrong kinds of discipline, driving out intelligence.

As Ratzinger resolves towards 4:1, he is likely to have a restless need for information about the nature of sexual sin and how it can be forgiven. On a broader note he will be interested in communication and innovation – especially with the moving image. So we might expect more film and TV propaganda about Catholic theology. At the same time however, he is going to feel insecure about the changes such innovations might impose on his pastoral work and especially on his network of contacts and friendships within the papal hierarchy. We can expect the civil service of the Vatican to become more and more involuted as more and more contradictory orders fly around. Ratzinger will probably express reverence for children and try to pin a Catholic recovery on re-inventing the Catholic school as the best in the business for educating young people.

ank April 20 2005


Day Sevens and Day Fifteens are likely to be a puzzle to those around them. Their interests are vague until an unusual occurrence sets their minds working along passionate and all-embracing lines. Their imaginations, however, once stimulated, often go round and round in circles and rather than logically build on experience; the decisions they take tend to completely erase the traces of previous decisions and they end up standing in the same spot but with a different set of tools in their hands. Their double (0) sign will give them a directness and intensity at times that is quite impractical, and which belies their broad sympathetic understanding of people and what makes them tick. They often prefer to sit back and put themselves at the mercy of others' decisions, the one calculated risk that they are unaware of taking. They have well-developed and expressive personalities, but can feel very much at a loss in the wider complex society, and need strong family and home ties to anchor them to the present. They are sensual, enjoy their pleasures and the fine discriminations of taste, but may be rather passive in getting what they want, depending on their partners to define the patterns within a relationship. They can see that sex provides points of stability in their lives but they may not know how to make it work for them. They maintain friendships and working relationships with small gestures of generosity and will ignore the contribution of those who cannot be controlled in this way. They tend to be less aware of the needs of the moment or how to use the awareness of others to support what they want to do, which tends to distance them from social groups. They dislike competitiveness, although they think that their home life is itself a challenge to to others. They manage competing influences by trying to be at the centre of events, although often miss the centre by striking out for the known goal too soon. They learn from those around them, and they may have, in the background, teachers or social groups on which they model their beliefs. They can become strong members of organisations, mastering all the detail, while their own particular long range goals are vague. They prefer to work through a private network of relationships and duties rather than through standard channels. They believe that social good comes only through balancing powers and obligations, and may believe that the end will justify the means, and that truth always lies further back in the shadows than one might suppose. They are unhappy to lose what they have gained in the material world. They may be quite unaware that they can get stuck in a repetitive mental pattern or lost in dreams for years. They resolve towards 4:1. In the second half of their life, those of this sign are likely to have a restless need for information about the more spiritual aspects of life, and especially about the nature of sin and forgiveness. They will be interested in communication and innovation – especially with the moving image - but at the same time feel insecure about the changes such innovations might impose on their work and even on their network of contacts and friendships. They may see having children, or new explorations, as the essential anchor point they look for, yet these may seem a contradiction to their inward journey to the discovery of their soul. They will still be tentative about satisfying their desires and their sexuality, and may suddenly take to doubting the worth of their past achievements.

Links:


tell a friend about the Theory of Eight. Click here

Quick compatibility check? Click here | What's up this month? Click here


All rights to text and designs©2005ank Click here for home page