Conclusion

Toyota is a prime example of a world-dominating corporation, but can this domination be maintained and at what cost? Are they playing both sides of the court: innovative or painfully slow to introduce hybrid and all-electric vehicles (conceding to the petrol industry and avoiding subsequent plummeting profits).

As Pluto transits through the sign of Capricorn for the next decade or so corporations will have to change. Capricorn rules big business and Pluto transiting that sign means that what has been hidden will be revealed, lies will become public, and corporate power structures will fall. Pluto demands change, but first comes destruction; only from the ashes can the Phoenix rise.

Here in the US, the Supreme Court ruled recently that corporations have the same right to free speech as a human being, and can therefore donate unlimited sums of money to political campaigns and even sponsor political attack ads. A recent poll by ABC News indicated that over 70% of people across all party lines object to this ruling; congressmen are scrambling to introduce legislation to overturn this decision by adding a constitutional amendment to say that a corporation is not a human being. This so poignantly demonstrates the transformational power of Pluto transiting the sign of Capricorn, but the energy of a planet cannot make something happen by itself. Everyone can help make this legislation pass for all our sakes by contacting their elected officials.

Astrology cannot predict with certainty what will happen. Rather, it predicts what archetypal energies will manifest at certain times. For the world as a whole, Pluto in Capricorn means huge changes in corporations, in how money works, and how business is conducted. The global economy has been shaken to its core and is struggling to recover. The Toyota Motor Corporation has the current transiting T-square of planets affecting its company chart, indicating turmoil, financial troubles, and what is becoming a public relations nightmare. They need to fundamentally change how they do business or fail, and, in that way, their dilemma mirrors the challenges that we all face in this tumultuous time.

The Progressed Lunar Cycle

An even broader pattern emerges when studying the chart of Toyota and its Progressed Lunar Cycle. This cycle is approximately 29.5 years long, similar in length to a Saturn cycle. The sign and house that a progressed New Moon take place in flavor an entire 30-year period.

The first progressed New Moon for Toyota was in Virgo and occurred in the Fourth House. This implies an attention to detail in establishing a strong foundation for the company. The second Progressed New Moon occurred again in the Fourth House but in the sign of Libra. Toyota was still focusing on building a strong foundation for the company while expanding into balanced and effective marketing techniques with slogans such as “Oh, what a feeling”, “I love what you do for me”, and “Who could ask for anything more”. Notice that they did not say what Toyota does or what the feeling it is, but rather let the consumer fill in the blanks (Libra).

Akio Toyoda became vice president of the Toyota Corporation in June of 2005 (president in June of 2009). This event was right after the third progressed New Moon cycle began for Toyota in March. This progressed New Moon occurred in the Fifth House in the sign of Scorpio. The Moon in Scorpio is in the sign of its fall so this 30-year period is likely to be one of troubles, turmoil and intensity. The Fifth House is the house of gambling and risk-taking. Akio Toyoda began his ascension to the throne of Toyota as the corporation started taking risks in all the wrong places.

The Fifth House is also the house of children or creative offspring (cars). I would advise the company to use this energy to their advantage proactively. A New Moon in Scorpio in the Fifth House could indicate trouble with children, such as faulty designs in their cars leading to injuries for children (and others). Rather than let this happen, they could expend extra resources ensuring this will not happen. They could also expand their philanthropy by investing in more scholarships, programs for underprivileged children, and expanding their universities.

Transits

That is a brief overview of Toyota’s radix chart. Now, I will discuss the transits that are affecting them so devastatingly. The inner wheel is the radix chart for Toyota and the outer wheel has the transiting planets for June 2012 which is a middle date for several major transits for Toyota.

The most important transits over the past few years and into the immediate future is from the T-square of three transiting planets: Saturn, Uranus, and Pluto. These three planets are aspecting Toyota’s natal Saturn.

From the fall of 2007 through the spring of 2008 transiting Saturn was conjunct Toyota’s natal Sun. The company’s philosophy and public image faced the first of many challenges. This is typically a low point in a company’s (or person’s) life. Additionally, Saturn was opposite the Midheaven (also the 10th House cusp in this case) which rules public image. Then, in November of 2009 (extending through September of 2010) transiting Saturn will be in opposition to Toyota’s natal Saturn. This too is often a low point in the 30 year cycle of Saturn. Additionally, Saturn has been conjunct Mercury, the planet that represents the company. Saturn transits can signify troubles, worries, burdens, loss and depression.

Through the next few years transiting Saturn will continue to make several hard aspects to planets in Toyota’s chart. Saturn will square natal Jupiter in 2011, indicating limits on its expansion and resources; Saturn will then square natal Venus in late 2011 through most of 2012 (the possibility of more financial troubles). Saturn will square natal Pluto in 2012 indicating a power struggle and the need for major changes in the structure of the company. Then, in 2013, Saturn will oppose natal Uranus and the Moon, indicating major upheavals, possibly a splitting of the company, and more problems with public image.

The second part of the T-square to examine concerns Uranus. Transiting Uranus has been in opposition to Toyota’s Mercury, the ruler of its chart. This indicates sudden upheavals and a lot of instability for the company. Additionally, Uranus is squaring the Ascendent which doubles this influence. In 2011-12 transiting Uranus will conjunct natal Saturn, just before transiting Saturn opposes natal Uranus (in 2013). It is a double whammy of Saturn and Uranus extending for several years: the company is changing whether they want it to or not. It is time to roll with the punches, to let go of old and outdated systems, and bring in the new.

The third point of the T-square is Pluto which opposed Toyota’s Ascendent and squared its Mercury from 2007-8, indicating slow, but deep seated, turmoil within the company. From 2009 throughout 2010 Pluto will be squaring Toyota’s Saturn. Again, this all indicates that change is upon the very foundation of the corporation. However, change is not often comfortable, pleasant or desired; Toyota needs to take out the surgeon’s scalpel and amputate what is gangrenous and do before it kills them.

Toyota released hybrid vehicles in 2007 in several models, and plans to have all-electric vehicles available within the next decade. My advice to the company would be to do it sooner than that. Toyota’s transits indicate that it could take the lead in the automobile industry and revolutionize not only its corporate structure, but also the world scene with its green/clean cars. They should take the time now, over the next two years, to implement a major overhaul; by May of 2012 (extending through the end of 2014) transiting Neptune will oppose Toyota’s Sun. This will most likely be a time of confusion and dissipation, major ego defeat, a loss of energy or even possible dissolution of the company. A rarer potentiality of a Neptune transit is a new vision of the future, which I believe will only be possible if they start making huge changes now.

Radix Chart Interpretation

Toyota Motor Corporation has five principles, which are useful to keep in mind when examining its chart; they are: challenge, constantly improving efficiency (Kaizen), go and see for yourself (Genchi Genbutsu), respect, and teamwork.

The sign on the Ascendent (the First House) is Gemini and therefore the ruler of the Ascendent is Mercury. Mercury in ancient Greek and Roman mythology was the God of Travel, quite apropos for a car manufacturer!  Mercury is in the sign of Virgo (which relates to improvement and Genchi Genbutsu) where it is not only the ruler of that sign, it is also exalted. In other words, the planet by sign is very strong and means that the company is therefore strong.

The ruler of the Second House is the Moon in the sign of Taurus, where it is exalted. The Second House governs the money and assets of a company or person, and with the ruler of the Second House so strong, we can see why Toyota has been very financially successful.

The Moon represents the public or people in general and the feeling, as it were, of the company. In this chart, again the Moon is in Taurus, so the public is strongly represented: Uranus and the Moon also indicate that the company wants not only stability, but also to be unique, innovative, independent and on the cutting edge of technology. This conjunction of planets represents somewhat of a conflict of interest however: being stable yet constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries.

In a negative sense, Uranus has an unstable effect upon the Moon (which relates to challenge) and whatever else the Moon represents in the chart. Here that is money and their once favorable public opinion suddenly plummeting. Moon in Taurus indicates the love of the finer things in life; Lexus is a luxury vehicle (Toyota’s Century Royal is the official car of the Emperor’s Family).6

There is also a very favorable pattern in the chart called a Grand Trine: three or more planets are 120 degrees apart forming an equilateral triangle (planets separated by 120 degrees are in a trine aspect). For Toyota, the Sun, Moon conjunct Uranus, and Jupiter form the three sides of the Grand Trine. A Grand Trine is about as auspicious as it can get in astrology. When it appears in a chart, the native usually has fantastic luck; plenty of resources, plenty of money, an outgoing and optimistic view on life which is often looking to the future and plenty of opportunities for advancement which seem to appear out of nowhere and fall into their lap. The proverbial “being born with a silver-spoon in one’s mouth”.

The Sun in the radix chart of a corporation represents the company’s philosophy, or weltanschauung (character and identity), and also its leader. For Toyota, the Sun is in Virgo. Virgo traits are efficiency, neatness, attention to detail, micro-managing (think of their Genchi Genbutsu policy) and penny-pinching.

Virgo can manifest the negative tendency to value saving money at the expense of what is vitally important. Here this tendency has manifested as cheap, and therefore poorly designed, floor-mats interfering with the most critical part of a car: the brakes. If their company policy really is Genchi Genbutsu, then they have not done a very good job of it; systemic problems in several models should not be happening world-wide.

Additionally, with Mercury in the sign of Virgo (Mercury representing how a company communicates, what it thinks is important - how it thinks) the energy of Virgo becomes even more obvious. Toyota has prided itself on building high quality and affordable products (in addition to its luxury line); even its inexpensive vehicles have been known to be excellent. Decades ago, no one wanted to buy goods made in Japan because the quality was so poor. It was like what many commonly feel about the items made today in China: cheap pieces of plastic junk. Toyota was largely responsible for remaking the image of Japan to embody quality in the marketplace.

Saturn in a radix chart represents the infrastructure of the company, its bureaucracy and its conservatism (or lack thereof). For Toyota, Saturn is in the sign of Aries, where it is quite weak, being in the sign of its fall and also, in this case, retrograde. That weakness may be somewhat compensated for by Saturn’s being in the 10th House, representing heads of state and the company’s prestige. Remember, they make the car for the emperor! Also, one of the company’s five principles is Respect, which Saturn in the 10th represents.

The final principle of Toyota, team work, is represented by Mars in the Sixth House. Mars in a company’s chart represents industrial concerns and, when in the Sixth, represents metal workers, engineers, mechanics, machinery which produces or uses a lot of power, and heavy equipment operators. It would indicate employees are hard working and have little respect for others who do not pull their own weight. The employees self-esteem comes from completing their work and doing it to the best of their ability. Mars trines Saturn, so the workers love their company, respect it completely and are willing to work hard. Sounds perfect for an automaker to me! However, teamwork implies egalitarianism; few corporations, if any, actually function on that level. What is shown in the chart is that Toyota has worker bees and drones without much evidence of true equality or respect for its employees.