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PRINCETON: The ‘personalities’ of the Princetons, according to the stars

… and what lies ahead in 2011

By Susan Van Dongen Special Writer
    With a nod to Halloween and the season of mysteries, we asked veteran astrologer Stephanie J. Clement, Ph.D., to run up astrology charts for Princeton Borough and Princeton Township, to compare and contrast the different personalities of the two entities, and see lies ahead in 2011.
    We were originally looking for giggles, but found what she gleaned from the charts has some serious resonance for the coming year. But let’s begin with the “birth” charts.
    Princeton Borough was incorporated Feb. 11, 1813, and Ms. Clement gave its birth time as noon, standard procedure for charting an incorporation.
    “I found what I considered something specific in each chart,” she says, speaking from her home in Pueblo, Colo. “For Princeton Borough, the moon is in the sign of Cancer and on the second house cusp.”
    To clarify, an astrological chart is divided into 12 sections or “houses,” and each house pertains to a certain area of life: love and marriage, youth, old age, money, higher education, health, work, the public eye, etc. The second house is associated with money, possessions, security and partners.
    Because of this emphasis on the second house, “One of the key reasons for the Borough to incorporate as a political entity was to manage the financial aspects of the community,” Ms. Clement says.
    In more simplistic, solar astrology, the Borough falls under the sign of Aquarius, which is known for being humanitarian, sympathetic and tolerant, has an inclination toward science and research, inventiveness and originality. A person or entity with Aquarius sun is independent and just a little different, progressive yet traditional, since it’s a “fixed” sign. Abraham Lincoln is a famous Aquarius.
    As far as the Township, incorporated April 9, 1838, Ms. Clement says the main reason for its incorporation was organization and zoning. “The moon is on the fourth house for the township, so it’s about the real estate, minding the manor, so to speak.”
    Land is emphasized in the fourth house, so the Township’s chart indicates that it was important to maximize its organization. In other words, Joe’s fishing shack would simply not be allowed to be built next to a stately mansion.
    “The Township needed to define how its different areas would be used, and how the community would be structured,” Ms. Clement says.
    As a sun sign, the Township was born under Aries, known for being dynamic, energetic, assertive, determined, forthright, with leadership abilities that lend themselves to being tops in sports, professional life and athletics. It’s a cardinal sign, which brings energy to starting things, launching endeavors. Thomas Jefferson is a famous Aries.
    For the new year, Ms. Clement says the planet Pluto is entering the Borough’s fifth house of creativity. Whether you believe it’s a planet or not, for astrologers, Pluto has traditionally been associated with the underworld, eruptive change, overcoming obstacles and the kind of power that might come from a volcano.
    “My first thought was that there is something going on in Princeton concerning the creative use of nuclear or solar energy,” she says. “Researchers might be working on ways to use nuclear energy more efficiently, and/or ways to clean it up better. This could move forward in a big way soon and throughout the next couple of years, because Pluto is just entering the fifth house.”
    “There could also be cooperation with universities from around the world,” Ms. Clement adds. “And we do desperately need to change, even revolutionize how we use energy.”
    For the Township, she says the issue is to continue to organize the community, “ … so they can keep it happy and owner-friendly,” Ms. Clement says. “Mercury (communication) and Saturn (structure) are close to the fourth house, which indicates that the infrastructure needs work, especially the streets, communication lines and railroad tracks.”
    “Because of the closeness of Mercury and Saturn, it’s going to be hard work,” she continues. “There needs to be planning, and things could take a year or two to pin down.”
    Note that Saturn is notorious for moving slowly through a chart, which makes swift-moving Mercury impatient. “There’s controversy, people are not in agreement,” Ms. Clement says.
    But wait: there is also potential money to be made, perhaps from tourists enjoying the cooperative spirit of the Borough and Township.
    “In both charts, there is a pattern called a ‘yod,’ also called the ‘finger of God,’ which is like drops of mercy coming from the heavens,” Ms. Clement says. “It points in the direction of the chart where energy can go, and for both the Borough and the Township, it’s pointing to the second house (money and financial security). However, for both charts, moving forward will require a big adjustment in thinking.”
Stephanie Clement’s most recent book is The Astrology of Development (American Federation of Astrologers, 2009); with Nancy Black, she also writes daily horoscopes for Tribune Media Services. www.stephanieclement.com. Writing as Gwyneth Bryan, Susan Van Dongen is the author of “Houses: A Contemporary Look” (Llewellyn, 2006).