The Ethanol Solution and the Scorpio Full Moon of May 13, 2006 by Ellen Zucker One of the best ways to learn astrology is to compare the news with current celestial phenomena. 60 Minutes’ story about the potential of ethanol as a solution for the US’s dependence on foreign oil as a fuel for its automobiles, is a brilliant illustration of the conundrum described by this week’s Full Moon in Scorpio/Taurus. First, let’s take a look at the Full Moon chart set for Washington D.C. Moon in Scorpio in the 8th house of shared resources faces down Sun and Mercury both in Taurus, across the horoscope circle in the second house of personal resources and earned income. Translation: The public’s demand for the limited natural resource of foreign oil to power their cars is at odds with their ability to pay (high prices at the pump). The Moon and Jupiter, also in Scorpio, form a triangle with Mars in Cancer and Uranus in Pisces. Translation: With hard work (Mars in Cancer) American people (Moon) can borrow a solution already implemented elsewhere (Uranus trine Jupiter). Now, here is the story as reported by 60 Minutes: Brazil has been successfully using ethanol as a primary source to fuel their vehicles. Brazil grows sugarcane that they convert into ethanol. “Flex fuel” cars that can burn both gasoline and ethanol based fuels have been sold there for the past four years. Today, ethanol sells for less than gasoline and the country is largely free from the stranglehold of foreign oil. In the U.S. ethanol is made from corn. Currently there is an oversupply of corn. Other technologies that convert cellulose, found in just about everything from grass to wood chips and agricultural waste would be even cheaper to produce. Currently 300 plants are in operation or on the drawing board. They could produce 7.5 billion gallons by year 2012, a little over 5% of America’s current gasoline usage. Ethanol is not the ultimate solution, but it is a solid beginning. Unlike current fuels using a 10% ethanol solution as an additive, ethanol based fuels use a formula of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. E-85 will damage conventional gas tanks. But, Rick Wagoner, General Motors CEO claims that the transition to cars that can burn ethanol can be done easily with current technology and cars that can burn the fuel are already being sold in the U.S. Vehicles equipped with tanks designed to burn gasoline can be retrofitted with “flex fuel” tanks to handle the ethanol fuel. GM who already sells “flex fuel” cars in Brazil produces one-third of the five million flex fuel cars on the road here in the U.S. today. Neptune blocks the Full Moon and creates a configuration called a ‘T’ square. Translation: The Oil industry is blocking this attempt to break out of the foreign oil stranglehold. The stumbling block is the dearth of gasoline stations selling E-85: currently 650 out of 170,000 in the U.S. The oil industry owns a small number of gas stations themselves, but heavily influences what is sold at the other stations and for how much, prefers to spend money in locating new sources of oil. Their industry spokesman argues that it costs $200,000 to enable a single gas station to handle E-85 and that the cost would be borne by the individual owners. Dr. Daniel Kammen of UC Berkeley who has studied this issue at length, estimates that the cost per gas station is closer to $30,000 to $40,000 and can be widely implemented in just two or three years. You can read the story in its entirety on 60 Minutes’ website. --Ellen Zucker 5/8/06

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