Joseph Ratzinger was born on April 16, 1927 at 4:15 A.M. in Marktl, Germany in the heart of Bavaria. A complex man born on a full moon, Pope Benedict XVI was born with the Sun in Aries, the Moon in Libra and Jupiter in Pisces rising. His powerful chart is riddled with contradictions: On the one hand, the chart reveals a highly personal and sometimes uncontainable sense of piety; on the other, there are signs that this is a man who adheres to rigid religious orthodoxy. His astrological chart indicates that his life is a most unusual mix of spiritual ambition and unstoppable will.
Aries is the sign of the warrior. It is ruled by militant Mars, the driven and physically charged planet of aggression and war. And quite a Mars our new pope has here! At 29½º Gemini and out of bounds, Joseph Ratzinger's energy as a youth must have been hard, if not impossible, to contain. By way of explanation, "out of bounds" planets (planets beyond 23½º of declination) behave in a way that exceeds the normal range of behavior typical for that planet. As his ruling planet and at the critical "my way or the highway" 29th degree, Mars (with its unrelenting inner urgency) plays an important role in his chart and describes someone who would have indulged with abandon his more aggressive nature in youth and been insistent, forceful, and successful at getting his way as an adult.
While today Pope Benedict XVI describes himself as "God's humble servant," his chart reveals a person who may have spent many early years not knowing who he really was. He has Jupiter in "blinding" Pisces in the ("I AM") first house of the self, and his pioneering Aries Sun is intercepted-hard to reach, experience or know-in the second house ("What am I really worth? What is of true value to me?"). This suggests, on the one hand, a high level of personal ambition and even self-importance; and on the other, a deep and profound connection to the "world soul," universal heart, and a spirituality independent of any organized religion.
Further contradictions in his chart make one curious as to how he has integrated his gigantic (Jupiter) sense of piety and compassion (Pisces), aggressive nature (Aries), tendency to manipulate others to his will (Mars square Mercury in the 1st), and religious orthodoxy (Saturn in Sagittarius in the 9th) in such a way as to balance them.
The synastry (astrological chemistry) between his chart and that of Pope John Paul II is astounding. It shows Pope Benedict XVI as being quite comfortable and content as the steady support, working behind the scenes as lieutenant. Their charts together provide an amazing study in compatibility and devotion.
But in March of this year, powerful Pluto in the sign of religion (Sagittarius) reached the top of Cardinal Ratzinger's chart and brought about the transformation that it always does: in this case, literally a rise to power. The question is: How will the new Pope Benedict XVI use his power? Though he has been quoted as advocating the separation of church and state, he signed a missive last year urging Catholic churches in the U.S. not to allow anyone who is pro-choice to receive the sacrament of communion and went much further by urging Catholics not to support the "Catholic politician's" presidential run."
