Toyota, the Japanese car company, has been getting a lot of bad press recently. Some of its models have been diagnosed with a ‘sticking accelerator’, which means that taking your foot off the gas pedal doesn’t necessarily reduce your speed.
The company have recalled a huge amount of cars and from an astrological point of view I’m very interested in what’s going on.
The Toyota Motor Corporation came into being, as an independent entity, on August 28 1937, meaning that it’s a Virgo organisation.
It’s probably useful having a Virgo star sign if you’re a manufacturing company. Virgoans regard detail as being important, and they like to get things right. Quality control will be second nature and the products will have a reputation for dependability.
So when the company became aware of the faults in its cars, and had to embark on a massive recall, it must have been a real shock to its Virgoan system, and I’m sure that a period of intense self-analysis is beginning.
When we take a closer look at Toyota’s horoscope, we see a really good chart, and it’s therefore completely logical that the company’s done so well for itself over the years.
On August 28 1937 the Moon was in Taurus, a sign where it’s very strong – to use the jargon, the Moon is ‘exalted’ in Taurus. Furthermore, it’s applying to favourable aspects with Venus in Cancer and Mercury in Virgo.
Mercury, by the way, is the planet of communication, and its rulership of Virgo gives it real strength. The company is able to get its message across, loud and clear, and because of the Moon-Venus aspect it knows how to put its target audience at their ease.
However in astrology there’s no such thing as a perfect horoscope. At the time of Toyota’s incorporation Saturn was in Aries, and according to traditional astrology this is one of the worst signs for Saturn to be in.
Saturn in Aries is often about being frustrated, and not achieving what one wants. It might also, quite literally, describe the sticking accelerator. Saturn represents difficulty and restriction, while Aries is an assertive sign that sometimes likes to go as fast as possible.
This Saturn is making a stressful, 180-degree aspect to Mercury, and this suggests periods of despondency. For example in 1949 and 1950, when the Japanese economy was in trouble, the company was at risk of going bankrupt.
In 2009 and 2010 Saturn in the sky is moving through late Virgo and early Libra. In Virgo it’s making a conjunction to Toyota’s Mercury, in Libra it’s making an 180-degree opposition aspect to its own position. This is because in 1937 Saturn was in early Aries, in 2010 it’s in early Libra, and the signs Aries and Libra are opposite each other.
Matters are made worse by Pluto. At the moment Pluto is in early Capricorn, making a 90-degree aspect to Toyota’s Saturn. Pluto is an intense yet transformational influence, that can often be difficult to deal with.
While all this is going on, the planet Uranus is moving through the last degrees of Pisces, in preparation for its entry into Aries. In other words it’s another planet that’s triggering Toyota’s Mercury and Saturn.
This astrological triggering will continue for some time – in theory until 2012. So I wouldn’t be surprised if the next couples of years bring some big changes to the company, that force it to completely overhaul its organisational and managerial structure.
However as I’ve already explained, Toyota has got a strong horoscope and I am confident that the current crisis will cause the company no lasting problems.
