Oakland: May The Fourth Be With Us

Oakland, California aka ‘The Town’ was incorporated on May 4th, 1852. Coincidently enough May 4th is widely known as Star Wars Day, due to the movie’s signature quote: May the force be with you. And you know what? During these current times that not only Oakland, but also the rest of the country have been experiencing, channeling the force may not be a bad idea.

“The force is not a power you have. It’s not about lifting rocks. It’s the energy between all things, a tension, a balance, that binds the universe together.” Luke Skywalker

The city I’ve grown to love and live in for the last two plus years has been in need of a Jedi for quite sometime, imo. Better yet an entire Jedi council. We need all of them. Yoda. Obi. Hell, even Chewbacca. All of them.

The residents of Oakland, CA deserve a group of leaders that can utilize the force to bring about a foundation of peace for once and for all. Peace that’ll last at least a generation. And then maybe two generations. And so on. Peace that not only spreads across generations, but across the country, the world, and the m.f.-ing universe.

As Luke Skywalker points out in the quote above, the force is the energy between all things, binding the universe together. The unseen concrete holding together the foundation of life. To master the force, one must first master their internal realm, which in time evolves into mastering the external environment that we all experience as one. Internal to external. Birth to life. Spring to Summer.

One tool that obviously comes to my mind that would help with understanding the intricacies of our inner world is astrology. In fact, this blog post was originally intended on solely being a breakdown of Oakland’s birth chart, buttt the magic of astrology and understanding things on a deeper level lead me to the synchronicity existing within the 4th of May. Astrology literally lead me to the force (cool, huh?).

So let’s see some things that stand out on Oakland’s chart to me.

Off the back, Oakland is a Taurus sun and the mantra for Taurus is “I have”. Taurus rules possession. Things you own. Things you have. The things that we value.

Taurus is a fixed earth sign, which screams out stubbornness and stability. People with heavy placements in Taurus could be prone to getting stuck in their ways. Or fixed in their ways. Of course, there’s always a positive and negative side to all attributes, so don’t get too hung up on choosing a side.

Taurus, the second sign of the zodiac is represented by the bull. When one thinks of a bull you might think of an animal that is extremely angry with blinding rage. Classic examples of this can be seen at the Running of the Bulls in Spain and the matador bull fights that are entertained throughout a healthy percentage of Mexico.

The thing is, these animals only display their blind rage when provoked. Somehow humans have made it a thing to poke at the bull to get it angry. Humans are quite obsessed with making this species look like a fool in front of an audience by using their anger against them. When a bull is left by itself it can actually be pretty chill. To me bulls just want to take it slow and steady. Eating grass and taking naps in the sun.

When you think of Taurus, think about all the bullshit that the bull has had to endure from humans for generations. The bull needs to feel secure to thrive and live a chill life. The bull will act out when provoked and doesn’t feel secure. In the instance of Oakland, a case can be built proving that the Taurus backed city has been getting provoked.

When you think of security in regard to a city, what is the first thing that comes to mind? For me it is the relationship between the city’s residents and the police department. Usually, when residents have a positive relationship with the police department, an overall secure aura can be felt throughout the city. This is the reality.

At this current point in Oakland, the cops feel they don’t have enough rights to enforce the city to the best of their ability, and the residents don’t trust the police with the power to do honest enforcing. This is due to a long history of corruption and abuse of power at the expense of the citizens of Oakland. This is well documented in books such as “The Riders Come Out at Night” by Ali Winston and Darwin BondGraham.

The lack of feeling secure doesn’t stop at the police department. As you may have heard, the former Oakland city Mayor, Sheng Thao had her term recalled on November 5th, 2024, after starting her term in January of 2023. Once again there is an unsecure environment being created between the citizens of Oakland, and this time with the politicians entrusted to run the city.

Thao is now being criminally indicted by a grand jury on federal bribery charges. And funny you should mention, Taurus is birthed out of the second house which is the house of money and possessions. I am not sure what it means, but as you get to know me more, you’ll notice that I tend to follow the coincidences and synchronicities. I am also of the belief that following the money will always help you with piecing things together in the world we live in.

“As an accountant, I must follow the money. ” Jason Rose Journey Through Ascension: An Astrological Memoir

 Oakland it seems that we need a Jedi council to oversee the money and security (in many different senses of the word) in our city. Jedi leaders who have already mastered their world within and are ready to see it echoed out.

If we go back to Oakland’s incorporation chart, the Sun wasn’t the only planet in Taurus when Oakland was incorporated in 1852. Mercury, Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto were all in this zodiac sign as well. That means Oakland has a Taurus stellium. When there is a stellium in one’s chart that means the ante is upped on the traits of whatever zodiac sign is hosting the planet party. The energy is that much more amplified.

In the case of a Taurus stellium, some themes that are going to get that much more focused on surround security, pleasure, stubbornness, and even nature. No coincidence that earth day takes place during the early days of Taurus szn. One thing that caught me by surprise as somebody new to Oakland is how beautifully the nature is scattered throughout the city. Taurus stabilizes and grounds through nature.

Now, to add some spookiness to the mix, Oakland, California is a Scorpio moon (run). I believe it’s this part of Oakland’s chart (the moon) that really helps us get to the root of Oakland’s archetype.

Scorpio is the sign of emotions, transformation, death, secrets, the occult, and being all up in your feelings to the point that they just burst out. My Venus and Pluto both sit in the sign of Scorpio. The sign that can be best described as intense. It represents one’s deepest desires and the determination to manifest what one desires through intense focus and concentration.

Scorpio is one of the three water signs, which explains why it can be highly emotional since water represents emotion.

Scorpio is so intense that two planets rule it: Mars and Pluto. Mars is the god of war and struggle, so Scorpios are always aware of their true power, as well as the power they lack. They are always in pursuit of power.

Pluto is lord of the underworld, indicating Scorpios being so deep. They strive to go below the surface level and through the trenches. They seek power by way of the underworld. Think of an orphan who grows up having a tough life only to find out they are the bastard child of a king. That’s Scorpio. Journey Through Ascension: An Astrological Memoir

Not only does Scorpio seek power, but the sign is also in search of seeking truth, no matter what the cost. Scorpios seek these things with passion and intensity. It’s a sign that is infamously known for secrets and occult knowledge. Scorpio is also a fixed sign and sits on the opposite side of Taurus, 180 degrees away from each other.

Those who were born with the moon in Scorpio have the power to harness intense energy. When this intense energy is focused towards evil and wrong doing, well then the result is going to intense evil and wrong doing, like some of the topics I talked about earlier. Focus that same intense energy towards good and the results will be like what Huey Newton was able to do when he formed the Black Panthers in Oakland.

“Power is the ability to define phenomena, and make it act in a desired manner.” Huey Newton

As I said earlier Scorpios constantly seek out power just how a Libra seeks out beauty. Scorpios are very much aware of the power they have, as well as the power that they lack. What is more evident of this Scorpionic power struggle than the black power movement, which was a by product of the Black Panthers?

“Black Power is giving power to people who have not had power to determine their destiny.”

I’m not gonna lie, but Oakland being a Scorpio moon gives me hope. In true Scorpio fashion it is the city’s SECRET weapon because if there is one thing that Scorpio can do in their sleep, it’s transforming and transmuting. Alchemizing. Scorpio has the ability to rise from the ashes like a phoenix, which is why one way the sign is portrayed is by the phoenix. The phoenix represents Scorpio it is in it’s evolved/elevated state. I believe that the city is currently low, which means the only place to go from here is up.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my thirty-four years of life, it’s that time really does heal all. Think of any time you thought it was the end of the world, similar to my time under that Scorpio moon on January 7th. Think of a time when you have been down bad and felt like things would never get better, when things were entirely out of your control. Now think about how those feelings and thoughts you created about that situation are all in the past. They faded and passed on. You won’t ever forget them. Maybe every time you think about the space you were in, it will continue to bring pain and hopelessness. But the fact remains that you’ve moved on. If you can read these words right now, it means that it didn’t kill you. You survived. Journey Through Ascension: An Astrological Memoir

On May 4th 1852, Oakland wasn’t incorporated on any ordinary moon. It was incorporated on a full moon. That means not only is a Taurus intensified by the stellium taking place on Oakland’s chart. A full moon in Scorpio just amplifies the intensity of the cities birth. A full moon in Scorpio puts even more focus on the themes of transformation and rebirth that Scorpio is associated with. Another reason that I truly believe the city will rise to glory and come back better than ever. To get back to glory it will involve letting go of a lot of things to get to the root of deeply emotional (think Scorpio) issues rooted in the past that are still confronting the city’s present.

Sure would help to have a master of the inner worlds (thoughts and emotions) come and give the city the nudge it so desperately needs in order to start it’s rise to glory.

So I say one more time. Oakland, we need a Jedi a counsel. And May the force be with us all.