This section is dedicated to a particular type or types of Astrology and discipline. Mundane Astrology, Astrology and Career.

Uighurs Rising - July 2009
Recent violence in “Western China” draws attention to the Uighur minority, a people little known around the globe..  Agent 8.5 - Jack Fertig has had half an eye on the Uighurs for a while, and question“Why?” the uprising is happening now ” - Jack Fertig - Agent 8.5

Pluto in Capricorn and the Cardinal T Square in 2010 - Ed Tamplin - Agent 42
Ed Tamplin - Agent 42 - View a tube Video

Economic Woes for the US Economy -  Nick Owens -Agent 37
37writes on the subject of the US national Horoscope, in which he  proposes a case for using the chart of the surrender of British General Cornwallis to the American revolutionary forces at the "Battle of Yorktown", as opposed to various other charts extensively used by astrologers in the past. Historically the "Battle of Yorktown" chart has many direct correlations to events in the USA and clear indications for the economic woes confronting the US and consequently the rest of the world  in the near future.

A Chromatic Study of Ambient Planetary Motion - 1900 t0 2025 - by Nick Owens
A musical composition of planetary motion with pictures - a mundane outlook.

Pluto Ingresses Capricorn 2008, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Libra nd Virgo
What do ingresses of Pluto moving into a sign tell us about that particular Pluto period.
Nick Owens Agent 37

Saturn in Virgo - 2007 -2010 -
A12 - Julija Simas -

 

Astro Web Links 10

 

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Mundane astrology is the application of astrology to political entities like nation-states, political parties and international organisations.  It has its roots in the astrology that was applied to the ruler of a kingdom.  Often the ruler and his or her family were the only people that could afford the services of an astrologer and they were also often identified with the kingdom or empire that they ruled.  Influences affecting the birth horoscope of the ruler were thus held to be predictive of the fortunes of the kingdom as a whole.

However other methods were used within the technical armamentarium of mundane astrology, such as ingress charts.  These are charts cast for a particular location (e.g. the capital city of a country) for the moment that the Sun enters Aries at the equinox, or when the Sun enters Cancer at the solstice.  These charts were used to give some sense of what was likely to occur in the subsequent period, whether for the next 3, 6 or 12 months.  In more modern times, astrologers have looked at charts cast for the ingress of a major planet into a sign, e.g. Pluto moving into Capricorn, which gives a sense to the subsequent decade or two.

Another important method used is the chart cast for the moment of granting of independence to a nation-state, or the moment when power was seized or otherwise declared.  This is then used as the chart for that particular political entity, and secondary techniques such as transits, progressions and directions are used to extract further meaning with the flow of time.

In classical and ancient astrology, important charts were those cast for the great conjunctions of the ‘chronocrators’ i.e. Jupiter and Saturn.  These planets form a conjunction every 20 years roughly.  Greater cycles can be seen in that the conjunctions occur in signs of one element for a period of 230 years or so, before ‘mutating’ to another element; the entire cycle through all four elements taking about 950 years all up.

On a more abstract level, merely observing the interweaving of the outer planet cycles as they form aspects between each other, and as they move through the signs, can give sense to the changing zeitgeist. 

In classical astrology, mundane was the final, and most challenging, branch of technique, after horary, electional and natal were mastered.  For this reason, there exist traditional methods and rules as to where to look for certain mundane significators in a given chart, as used for mundane purposes.  For example, the ruler of the tenth house signifies the executive government (e.g. the Crown, or the president in a republic); the ruler of the eleventh house symbolises the parliament or the assembly of people’s representatives, and the ruler of the ninth house represents the judiciary and intelligentsia.  The fourth house represents the opposition party and the people generally, the seventh house represents foreign affairs and the sixth house represents national services and the health and efficiency of these (e.g. emergency services, the military, health services, sanitary services) as well as national employment statistics.

However, in a any given situation, most mundane astrologers will examine a variety of different charts and a variety of different sources of information in order to judge trends into the future.  For example, at the time of an election, charts to be examined would include:

1. the chart of the nation-state, and transits and progressions thereto
2. the current angular relationships between the major out planets
3. the chart of the head of state or prime minister and transits and progressions thereto
4. the ingress charts for the period of time when the election is to be held
5. the chart of the election itself, set for the capital city
6. the charts of the political parties concerned and the transits and progressions thereto
7. the chart of the current government or administration and the transits and progressions thereto

As in most areas of astrology, when certain configurations of symbols seem to repeat or to reinforce each other, patterns may be discerned that are strong enough to support judgement; it is rare for a call to be made on one signification in one chart alone.

Agent37

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The USA 2010 - Ingress & the Deepwater Oil Rig Disaster:
The Importance of the Moon in Ingress Charts
By Peter Burns

Since ancient times the ingress of the Sun into the cardinal sign of Aries has been used to plot the destiny of nations. The interpretation applied to the beginning of the Sun’s annual journey must be set against the backdrop of the larger cycles if its meaning is to be fully understood.

The ingress chart for the Sun is a derivative chart drawing its substance from the birth chart of the nation. It is a lens through which we can see how planetary potential shown in the original birth horoscope is focused for the current year, and the issues around which our consciousness (the Sun) are focused. The awesome power and majesty of the Sun has for millennia been considered the physical manifestation of divinity, the prime mover of our universe.

The Moon is the beloved partner of the Sun and the fastest of the moving cosmic bodies astrologers call ‘planets’. In her monthly cycle, as she fills and empties herself of the Sun’s energy, she transmits the divine light to the other planets. The position of the Moon in the ingress chart is a still frame snapshot capturing the image of the Moon’s transmission of energy from one planet to another. This transmission of light symbolises the ebb and flow of energy and emotions within the collective, and the planets or fixed stars involved in the energy transfer have special significance for the year ahead. In this short analysis I use a blend of ancient and modern techniques to demonstrate the value of ingress charts and in particular the importance of the Moon as representative of the flow of events.

The event that I wish to highlight is the April 20 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion which has resulted in an unprecedented ecological disaster of tragic proportions. Although limited space here only allows me to tease out a few threads from the rich tapestry of meaning inherent in the complex interplay of planet energies from original birth chart of the United States and its derivative 2010 ingress horoscope, the significance of the Moon is very apparent.

Important 2010 transits to the horoscope of the USA
The chart I favour for the USA is the 5.10 pm Sibley chart for July 4 1776 in Philadelphia. In the horoscope for a nation the Moon represents the common people, the collective and mass consciousness. In 2010 Neptune, the planet representing oil, conjoins the US Moon. Uranus, the planet which represents sudden shocks, conjoins the fourth house cusp (the IC). The IC represents the land, the American homeland.

Pluto, the planet representing crisis, death and rebirth, opposes Venus, the ruler of the tenth house, the national executive. Together these three transits represent a time of challenge for the American people.

The USA Aries Ingress 2010

The horoscope for the ingress of the Sun in 2010, shown above, has 21.13 Cancer rising with the Moon at 26.13 Taurus. Aspect arrows show the application of one planet to another. Significant features of the 2010 USA ingress horoscope include the following:

1. The Moon conjoins Algol, long regarded as the most malefic of the fixed stars, with a particular association with death and disaster.

2. The Moon, significator of events, carries the energy of Algol and applies to first to Uranus and then to Neptune, the planet which signifies oil.

3. The Sun trines Mars, the planet representing explosions. The Sun and Mars are in mutual reception, which facilitates their energy transfer. The Sun conjoins the Midheaven which gives it extra power. In horary astrology planets conjoining the angles are regarded as having ‘accidental dignity’. Mars is in the first house, emphasizing its importance and relevance.

4. The Sun next opposes Saturn, seen as ‘the greater malefic’ in traditional astrology, and is also associated with disasters. Although Saturn is in the sign of its exaltation it is retrograde. A planet in retrograde motion is like a person walking backwards, likely to h ave an accident. Saturn is very angular on the IC and thus has extra power to cause problems.

5. Venus in this chart rules the fourth house, which is the American homeland. Venus is not on its best behaviour in the sign of its detriment and acts more like a malefic.

6. Venus is in antiscia opposition to Jupiter. Antiscia aspects are like shadows and suggest a hidden relationship. However the opposition is like a normal planetary opposition in that it represents two forces opposing each other. The opposition of Venus to Jupiter exacerbates negative tendencies.

7. While Jupiter has positive dignity in Pisces, one very old interpretation for this sign placement is flooding. Pisces is associated with the sea. The sea near the homeland is flooded with oil. Jupiter’s ninth house placement suggests foreign involvement (BP).

Although the horoscope the chart for the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig explosion is replete with meaning I do not have the time to provide an analysis here. Obvious starting points for discussion include the background context provided by the Saturn-Uranus opposition, the Sun’s square to Pluto and the Sun’s antiscia opposition to Neptune, the Moon’s transfer of light from Jupiter to Venus and aspects involving Mars.

Transits from the Oil Rig Explosion chart

Below I have outlined the lunar connections between the 2010 ingress chart and the oil rig explosion chart.

1. The Moon in the Oil Rig Explosion Chart conjoins the Ascendant in the 2010 ingress chart, within one degree. The Moon has transferred the light of Algol to the Ascendant. The Ascendant in an ingress chart represents the country – the USA is faced with a disaster.

2. Venus in the Oil Rig Explosion Chart conjoins the Moon in the ingress chart. As we have seen Venus in the ingress chart represents the American homeland and the Moon in the ingress chart applies to Neptune, the planet which represents oil.

3. The lunar eclipse of June 26 2010 squares the Midheaven/IC axis of the ingress chart, and also conjoins Pluto in a T-square to this axis, aligning also with the Sun and Saturn.

4. The solar eclipse of July 11 2010 falls directly upon the Ascendant of the ingress chart. It is interesting to note that it also makes an antiscia conjunction with Uranus and the Descendant in the US Sibley chart.

5. The Moon’s South Node conjoins the Ascendant of the USA 2010 ingress horoscope. In traditional astrology the South Node is associated with loss. Although not a lunar connection, we can add to this list the Sun in the Oil Rig Explosion Chart which makes a partile square the Mars in the ingress chart, thus energizing the explosive and destructive potential of Mars.

The importance of the Moon as representative of the flow of events

In the above list of the lunar connections between oil rig explosion chart to the 2010 USA Sibley ingress chart the importance of the Moon in its representation of the flow of events is critical.

1. The Moon in the ingress horoscope is conjunct Algol.

2. The Moon in the 2010 chart applies directly to Uranus thus transiting Algol’s energy to Uranus.

3. The Moon then applies to Neptune, the planet which represents oil.

4. The first pass of the Moon across the 2010 ingress Ascendant, one month after the ingress date, coincides with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion.

5. The June 26 lunar eclipse conjoins Pluto and squares the Midheaven/IC.

6. The July 11 solar eclipse falls exactly on the 2010 USA ingress Ascendant. In the above analysis I have taken a minimalist approach using only lunar aspects between the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and the 2010 ingress horoscope for the USA. There are many more layers of meaning that could be included. However this list is sufficient to demonstrate the importance of the Moon in ingress charts in showing the flow of events for the following year. It is of course impossible to interpret an ingress chart in isolation and without reference to the foundation birth chart. Neither can the larger perspective of long term planetary cycles be ignored.

Conclusion:
Even when only the lunar aspects and associations are used there is enough to explain the relevance and importance of the Moon as representative of the flow of events. I believe that if we are wise enough to embrace the wisdom of our astrological predecessors and incorporate this wisdom into our modern understanding then our skills will be enhanced.

Agent 144

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Uighurs Rising - July 2009

Recent violence in “Western China” (aka East Turkestan, the Xinjiang province, or Uighurstan) draws attention to the Uighur minority in China, a people little known to Americans.  I’ve had an half an eye on the Uighurs for a while, and my question is not so much “Why?” as “Why now?”  The astrology of the situation is quite interesting.

First a little background about the Uighurs: 

In an area north of Tibet that is mostly high desert, but has some fertile regions, the Uighurs have lived for millennia on a stretch of the Silk Road.  They are a Turkic people and their language is very much like Turkish, and they’ve been Muslims since the 9th century.  Like many nations with powerful neighbors they have had independence intermittently – often for long periods.  Conquered by the Manchu dynasty they were able to get independence briefly in 1933-1934 and again from 1945 to 1949.  As an ethnic and religious minority in China they practice their religion under certain restrictions, and – as with neighboring Tibet – they are being deluged with Han Chinese immigrants in an effort to overwhelm, dilute, and eventually destroy their culture and ethnicity.

The recent events in Tibet are very likely feeding into long simmering tensions in East Turkestan, but that area has been so very quiet for so very long.  Why is it boiling over right now?

First I looked at an astromap of the latest ingression.  That is to say, taking the time that the Sun was at the summer solstice (entering Cancer, at the first second of Summer) I made a map of the world showing where the planets are angular.  (Without computers this would be a long, arduous task.  Astrology programs like Solar Fire or Kepler make it a snap.)   Two important details jumped right up:

At Urumqi – the Uighur capital – Uranus is rising.  At Beijing, Eris is rising!

Any astrologer would recognize Uranus as the planet of rebellion.  An uprising with Uranus rising is textbook clear and simple.  Eris, a newly discovered planet, is not so well known and understood, but my work with her shows a clear association with competition, division, and ethnic strife/reconciliation.  Eris’ strength in Beijing highlights ethnic tensions across the country. 

To get more detail than these simple brushstrokes offer, let’s look at the national chart for the People’s Republic of China (October 1, 1949 3:15 PM AWST -- 8 hours east of GMT) and then the charts for E. Turkestan.

At 60 years old, the current government of China is just past her second Saturn return, having confronted her limits she’s off on a new cycle of asserting her competence and authority. Has she overstretched her limits?  At this point we should expect that she is just past a reckoning.  We’ve seen the failures of her health care system with AIDS endemic in some villages, the ecological disasters, the limits of human rights.  As Saturn is in her eighth house she is likely to take any threat to her integrity as a deadly threat, and of course she is emerging as an economic super-power with her huge foreign reserves and deep American indebtedness.

Eris is moving slowly through her third house.  Near her perihelion, this outer planet spends about a century in Aries.  Since the modern Chinese state was born in 1949 Eris has only moved from 06:54 Aries to 21:57 Aries.  Right now she is square to China’s natal Jupiter in the 12th house.  This aspect could signal divisions in the inner circles of the ruling party, competition among security agencies, arguments over infrastructure, but here, pertinently, ethnic unrest at China’s large border regions.  Neighbors might exploit unrest – and indeed in 1933 and 1944 that is exactly how East Turkestan achieved its brief periods of independence.   Jupiter in the 12th house offers a deep memory and the expanded awareness of secret enemies that could veer into paranoia.  Let’s just say the Chinese government is very sensitive and very careful about those ethnicities at her border.   Eris will be square to China’s natal Jupiter for the better part of the next 10 years.  This problem is not going away soon! 

Transiting Pluto in the 11th house is coming up to a semi-sextile to the natal Moon in the 12th just over the Ascendant, so China’s sense of national integrity will be strongly asserted by the “parliament” or more appropriately here the Central Party.  Pluto is also beginning an opposition to natal Uranus in the 5th house.  China has been expanding investments in Tibet and Xinjiang province (the Uighur region) in order to bring more ethnic-majority Han Chinese into those regions and strengthen their presence.  Clearly this is going to be a focus of increasing unrest.  Using an equal house chart Pluto will soon go past the Uranus opposition into the 12th house, causing increasing concern among the rulers, making them even more protective and coercive.  With the Eris square to Jupiter this attitude is likely to feed the conflict more than it will effect control over it.

As Nick Campion says, countries don’t have birth charts, but they do have horoscopes.  The Uighur nation of East Turkestan has two horoscopes that are both being strongly activated by current transits.  The earlier chart from November 12, 1933 in Kashgar is the first birth of a modern Uighur state, but it only lasted a few months.  E. Turkestan resurrected on November 12, 1944 in Urumqi (or “Urumchi”) and lasted 5 years. (Both charts are drawn for noon, for lack of timed data, and I use solar charts in such cases.)

The charts have interesting similarities and strong points.  Obviously they have the same birthday with the Sun at 19 Scorpio.  They both have Mercury within a degree of each other, retrograde in the first chart at 3 Sagittarius, direct in the later chart.  The 1933 chart has Mars at 24 Sagittarius; 1944 has Venus at the same degree. Saturn first at 10 Cancer, then at 10 Aquarius.  The strong connections between both charts suggest that both should offer some insights.

The older chart shows Pluto now squaring natal Eris provoking ethnic unrest.  Coming up on a semi-sextile to natal Mercury in Sagittarius this struggle will help the Uighurs to strengthen their international voice.  Also in this chart Mars in Sagittarius (2nd house), Uranus at 24 Aries (6th house), and Pluto at 24 Cancer (9th house) are all being aspected this year by Jupiter and Neptune in Aquarius (4th house) and Neptune in Pisces (5th house)  The agitation in the 4th from Jupiter and Neptune is surely stirring up dreams of a homeland, and sympathy from coreligionists through the Islamic world.  Uranus in Pisces will help to connect the religious and political issues – a very easy link to make in today’s world!  It also offers the Uighurs a chance to make their case through cultural programs, building support in sympathetic nations. 

The 1944 chart re-iterates the Pluto quincunx to Mercury, and this time Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune are all aspecting Venus in the 2nd house.  We too often think of Venus as being peaceful, but that’s not the case.  Especially in the 2nd house she is what we value enough to fight for.  The Aztecs saw her as Quetzalcoatl, a god of war!  In Sagittarius she shows the Uighurs valuing freedom and their religion.  China’s Venus in Scorpio in the 10th shows how they value control over “collective” resources.  There may be a hope here for negotiations, but with Pluto making the quincunx to Mercury, I doubt it.  The 1944 chart also has a sextile between Mars in Scorpio (1st house) and Jupiter in Virgo (11th house).  Eris is now quincunx both, making a Yod formation from the 6th house, pointing to continuing labor trouble, ethnic strife, and civil unrest provoking greater aspirations for the Uighurs. 

The Libra ingress puts the Moon at the IC at Urumqi, strengthing national affections and rootedness.  She’s quincunx to Eris in the 8th house, and Mercury is conjunct Saturn in the first house opposing Uranus in the 7th.  Expect more trouble, but it will get the Uighurs much more attention and public sympathy.  The Beijing Ingress shows the same house positions, but with the Moon in the third house far from the IC – similar hassles, but with less public sympathy. In these charts Urumqi gets Venus in the first house, not on the Ascendant, but pretty close; Beijing has her in the 12th.  The Uighurs can count on getting the sympathy vote.

Powerful China is not about to release Tibet or the Uighurs.  Even the notion of greater autonomy seems to make Beijing nervous, but the Uighurs are finding a voice and crying out for freedom alongside Tibet.  This problem is not going away, but the world is just beginning to hear from the Uighur people.

Agent 8.5 - Jack Fertig

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Economic Woes for the US Economy

Many words have been written on the subject of the ‘correct’ horoscope for the USA.  Given the contemporary dominance of the USA in the cultural, economic and political life of the world, it is not unreasonable that astrologers have spent long hours poring over the various candidate charts for a national horoscope.  Probably the most commonly used charts are those timed for various moments on 4 July 1776, which was apparently the day on which the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia.  A Gemini-rising chart cast for the very early hours of the morning, a Scorpio-rising chart for early afternoon and the famous ‘Sibly chart’ with a Sagittarius ascendant have all been utilised extensively.  Other possibilities include the chart for the First Continental Congress (5 September 1774 at 10am, Philadelphia), the Battle of Lexington (19 April 1775 at 5am, Lexington, Massachusetts), the signing of the Treaty of Paris (3 September 1783 at 10:30am, in Paris, France) or the adoption of the Federal Constitution (17 September 1787 at 4pm, inPhiladelphia). 

In this article, I wish to propose a case for the radicality of the chart of the surrender of British General Cornwallis to the American revolutionary forces at the Battle of Yorktown, which defined the end of the American Revolutionary War and essentially de-facto independence of the USA from Britain.  The chart is set for 10am on 17 October 1781, at Yorktown, Viriginia.  Further, I want to utilise this chart to examine some of the trends in US financial history which set the stage for the current problems besetting the US and world economy, and which have huge implications for the world over the next 2-3 years, irrespective of who wins the upcoming presidential election.

This chart’s basic structure can be summarised as follows.  Probably the most striking feature is the new moon in the Libran eleventh house, conjunct the South Node, which indicates that the chart followed a total solar eclipse which occurred 6 hours and 10 minutes earlier.  10º Sagittarius rises, with Saturn following at 16º Sagittarius.  There is a Venus/Jupiter conjunction within 1º16 of orb on the cusp of the first house, with Jupiter in very late Scorpio and Venus across the cusp in very early Sagittarius.  There is a rather ominous-looking Mars/Pluto conjunction in Aquarius, and Mars closely trines Neptune.  Uranus is in early Cancer in the eighth house.

Saturn rising in Sagittarius is suggestive of the religious fundmentalism and Christian moral conservatism espoused by the majority of American citizens; we see here an image of the bulwark of enlightenment and humanistic ideals of freedom, happiness, prosperity, justice and moral rectitude.  Being in detriment, Saturn’s weakness is seen in the extremes of religious and moral hypocrisy evident in popular opinions on issues such as the death penalty, the teaching of evolutionary theory, provision of universal health-care and the widening disparity between rich and poor.  This is a very traditional image of the shining beacon of democracy, the guarantor of liberty and self-determination.

Although Saturn is close to the Ascendant, we must not overlook Venus, tucked into the very first degree of Sagittarius, which by the whole-sign house system, is therefore in the very first degree of the first house.  Venus is also conjunct (though out-of-sign) Jupiter, kind of adding to the Sagittarian flavour of Venus.  I think this represents the prevailing image of America – big, brash, fond of risk, entertainment, wealth, gambling, horses, expansion, conquest, international adventure.  But also, devoted to pursuing happiness and striving for the freedom to do so, even if this means acquiring enormously disproportionate extremes of material resources and money.  I think this Venus-Jupiter conjunction straddling the first house cusp indicates the tendency of America to see itself as fundamentally benign and indeed blessed, particularly with Jupiter being in the twelfth house.  There may be a tendency to confuse the strong fantasy of blessed exceptionalism with the reality on the ground, with inconvenient socio-economic data failing to generate attention because it doesn’t fit with the shiny, happy face of the American dream.

Mars and Pluto conjoin closely in early Aquarius, in the third house of transport, communications, intelligence services and early education.  Note that Pluto in this chart is exactly stationary, going direct.  This is an image of the obsession of the US with violence, particularly gratuitous and shocking violence, as well as the dominating strength of the US military machine.  Violence and individual rights (Mars in Aquarius) combine in the liberal gun laws in the US, where the individual’s right to bear arms against a dicatatorial monarchy has retained its place at the very core of American identity and civic status.  Weaponry is futuristic, utilising the most modern technologies, as well as consisting of a large nuclear stockpile.  But a very important part of the USA’s offensive capabilities, particularly since the end of the Second World War, consists of the work of intelligence agencies such as the CIA.  Utilising networks of intelligence operatives across the world, the USA has unrivalled ability to manipulate in the affairs of other nation-states and foment suitable political crises to assist it in its geopolitical aims.

Note the vey close trine from Mars to Neptune, which I think is the fetishization of military life, the inculcation of seductive imagery of bravery and heroism via media and education.  The USA is truly a militarised culture, based very deeply on the values of the Western:  personal bravery, rugged individualism, fighting the good fight, respect and admiration for the outlaw.  This aspect also relates to the slightly grandiose over-glamourisation of the military life, the action movies churned out by Hollywood, the shoot-‘em-up computer games, the contrast between the fantasy of gun-toting heroes being welcomed as liberators and the reality of human misery and cruelty unleashed by the controllers of the state.  Mars-Neptune is also helpful for espionage and undermining enemies as opposed to more direct force.

The Libran eclipse New Moon in the eleventh house is to my mind the epitome of classical civilised democratic government, complete with checks and balances and a strong congressional component representative of the people and the component states.  Even the most important central public government buildings throughout the US are built in neo-classical architectural style, suggestive of the institutions of Greece and Rome.  I think a New Moon carries the mundane symbolism of the marriage of the people with their rulers, and with the Moon eclipsing the Sun, the monarchical rulership has indeed been overthrown by popular revolt.  

However, with the MC being in the Virgoan tenth house, Mercury, placed in Scorpio in the twelfth, takes the role of the executive branch of government, tensely placed square the rather belligerent Mars.  Despite the checks and balances of the constitution, the reality is that the President ends up rather isolated and placed on a pedestal as the idealised leader who makes the tricky and difficult decisions, often decisions related to warfare and defence.  Sometimes this has not been so successful, as for example at the onset of the Civil War in the early 1860s, when transiting Pluto in Taurus opposed Mercury, and the country split into the Union and the Confederacy for a 4-year period of blood-letting. 

Given the upcoming election, together with the prevailing economic vicissitudes affecting the US economy, it is useful to have a closer examination of the placement of Uranus in this horoscope.  Uranus is placed in the eighth house, the house of financial deals, foreign trade, taxation, corporations and national experiences of death and loss.  From early in the history of the USA, one of the most lucrative forms of financial activity and trade was that involving Africans, brought to the USA as slaves, and this persisted through much of the nineteenth century, and, some would say, on into the twentieth and twenty-first, albeit in a less overt form.  We can see this symbolically reflected in the placement of Uranus in Cancer, the sign of race, clan and birthright.  We also see here the mass killings of native Americans across the continent during the years of expansion of the USA in the nineteenth century.

In early 1886, the US Supreme Court argued and decided upon the famous case of Santa Clara County –v- Southern Pacific Railroad which was to grant corporations the same legal rights as juristic persons under the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution, i.e. the rights of citizenship.  Transiting Saturn was conjunct natal Uranus, and a transiting Jupiter-Uranus conjunction was square natal Uranus.  This was a crucial development in the growing power of corporate America, which seems to be reflected by this Uranus placement in the US horoscope.  (The Fourteenth Amendment itself, passed in 1866, explicitly described the rights of citizenship and, controversially at the time, extended citizenship to slaves.  At this time, transiting Uranus was conjunct natal Uranus.) 

In 1914, when the transiting Saturn-Pluto conjunction was exactly conjunct natal Uranus, the Federal Reserve was formed, a private corporation which was given the role of loaning money at interest to the US Federal Government.  This was a major step towards handing over financial sovereignty of the American people to a private interest, and was the final result of a long process of lobbying and persuading politicians on the part of international banking interests.  Note that transiting Neptune was trine natal Venus, the symbol of the US dollar, at this time.

On 6 April 1917, following on the sinking of the Lusitania by German U-boats, and the disruption to US-European trade by the war in Europe, a reluctant President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany, with only one more year to go until the end of the conflict.  Transiting Pluto was conjunct natal Uranus.

In late 1929, and early 1930, as economic depression hit the USA following the Wall Street Crash, transiting Saturn was conjunct US Uranus, and progressed Moon and Venus, conjunct in early Aries, were squaring Uranus.

Towards the end of the Second World War it was apparent that the tide was turning against the Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan) and that a new system of international financial regulation would have to be set up in the wake of the economic depression and devastation caused by the war.  The major non-Axis powers met at Bretton Woods in New England in the first three weeks of July 1944 to settle on a new post-war economic dispensation, as transiting Saturn conjoined US Uranus.

In the early 1970s, interesting events took place regarding the international economic connections and climate in which the USA was operating.  On 15 August 1971, resident Nixon ‘floated’ the US dollar, taking it off the gold standard, which effectively turned it into a fiat currency, declared to have a given value by decree.  It was no longer exactly exchangeable for a given amount of gold.  Transiting Neptune was exactly conjunct Venus (the dollar was ‘floated’), and transiting Pluto was sextile Jupiter.  Towards the end of 1973, following on US support of the Israelis in the Yom Kippur War, as well as the depreciating value of the US dollar as a result of the removal of the gold standard, Arab oil-producing countries imposed an embargo on oil exports to the West, resulting the first Oil Crisis.  Transiting Saturn was conjunct Uranus and transiting Uranus was conjunct the US Sun.  Transiting Pluto was also conjunct US Neptune.  Note also, that earlier that year, the World Trade Centre was officially opened on 4 April 1973, when transiting Pluto was exactly square US Uranus.

Transiting Uranus opposed natal Uranus in November 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell and a whole new expanse of the geopolitical map was ripe for economic development and trade, as the old communist regimes in Eastern Europe collapsed.  This was enunciated by President Bush in 1990 as a ‘New World Order’ ready for the forces of globalization rooted in the Western capitalist corporate economic model.  During the presidency of the younger President George W Bush, the events of 11 September 2001 took the US on a strange new trajectory in terms of the fundamentals of its economic system.  Following the devastation of the World Trade Centre on that day, as transiting Mars opposed the US Uranus, and the transiting lunar nodes straddled it, the large stores of gold that were kept in the vaults beneath the World Trade Centre were shipped out under federal security in the course of the removal of the debris of the disaster; none of this has been accounted for since.  The day before, 10 September 2001, the then US Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, declared that there was a $2.3 trillion discrepancy in the accounts of the Pentagon – following the disaster the next day, this was never followed up or investigated.

The current economic problems besetting the USA are in my view probably the most serious in the history of the country.  Earlier this year, and most exactly next year and in 2010, the US Uranus will be opposed by transiting Pluto, and squared by the transiting Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus, all culminating at the cardinal climax in mid-2010.  I predict that this will involve a radical devaluation of the US dollar, a serious economic depression and most likely severe social and political turmoil in the US as the leadership attempts to maintain control in an increasingly turbulent and unpredictable situation.  This may also coincide with the decision by China, Russia and other foreign holders of US bonds to dump their holdings and make a call on the debts owed them by the USA.  This would be extremely serious and could well escalate into a major international crisis as the world tries to collectively intervene to sort out the mess that the US economy and national entity has become.

Agent 37

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Saturn's Ring Plane Crossing

Every so often the ringed planet turns its rings edge-on to the Earth. This happens twice in its 29-year cycle. On 4th September, 2009 Saturn’s rings virtually disappeared as the Earth crossed Saturn’s ring plane. This took place around the time of the Full Moon. (See inner Chart below)
Because of Saturn’s proximity to the Sun, it wasn’t possible to see this stellar event, nevertheless, the alignment of the Earth with Saturn’s rings has symbolic significance, which is also magnified by the timing of its occurrence, as it coincides with Saturn’s opposition to Uranus.

The 15 September opposition of Saturn and Uranus is the third in the current series of five. As the centrepiece of these Saturn Uranus aspects we appear to be crossing a threshold of change. These oppositions occur only once every 45 years. With these two cosmic events occurring at virtually the same time, it would seem that Saturn’s authority over structures, traditions and boundaries is capable of being transcended now. At the very least, this seems like a unique window of opportunity for the introduction of new technology, systems and ideas. Creative options are likely to gain favour, with the emphasis on human rights and freedom.

Under these conditions fresh approaches are more easily able to penetrate established frameworksand become incorporated with current systems. Equally, long held benchmarks and regulations, especially those which are no longer viable, can be given a new coat of paint, or completely overhauled.Saturn is generally reluctant to try new things, but as the Earth, Uranus and Saturn align there is an opportunity to see things from a new perspective. New standards can be introduced while Saturn and Uranus see each other in a new light, and with some objectivity.

New government regulations and standards for industry are indeed coming into play. Deals on issues such as climate change, renewable energy and greenhouse emission targets are being hammered out, while international regulations and safety standards in a number of key industries are also undergoing a process of major review. While this is not an easy process, these changes are necessary.

Saturn’s continued transit of Virgo will help hammer out these new regulations in detail; indeed much of the ground work has already been done behind the scenes over the past two years. Virgo is skilled in managing details and helps us sort out the essentials from the non-essentials.
The Virgo New Moon on 19 September intensifies the focus on the opposition of Saturn and Uranus and Saturn’s ring plane crossing. At this New Moon the Sun and Moon will conjunct Saturn exactly.  (see outer chart above)

HISTORY
Ring plane crossings of Saturn currently occur at 22-23 degrees of Virgo and Pisces, in fact this has been the case for several centuries.* These zodiacal degree points of crossing are moving very slowly forward in the zodiac. Back in 1214, around the time when King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, Saturn’s ring plane crossing was at 13-14 degrees of Virgo, and this was indeed the location of Saturn at the time.Throughout history a number of pivotal events have occurred when Saturn’s rings have been edge on to the Earth. At these times the authorities in charge have had to take into account the wishes of the people and the ramifications have been far reaching.
Edward VI, son of Henry VIII was born just a few days before a ring plane crossing. He died aged 15 in 1553 with Saturn’s rings again aligned closely to the Earth.

Upon his death the ill-fated Lady Jane Grey (who was the same age as her cousin Edward) became Queen for nine days. A pawn in a political manoeuvre, Jane was installed as Queen by Edward’s scheming relatives, partly so they could keep their own powerbase and partly to prevent Catholic Mary I from coming to power. The plan soon backfired and Mary was proclaimed Queen because despite their preference for a protestant monarch, the people were outraged by the attempt to illegally seize power, against the law of succession.

About 100 years on the English Civil War erupted in 1642 during another ring plane crossing. The intransigence of King Charles I and his belief in the divine right of kings to absolute power, led not only to his defeat and execution seven years later, but it marked the end of monarchy as a system of government in England.

Sir Isaac Newton was born in January 1643 under the sign of Capricorn and in the midst of this ring plane crossing in Pisces. When Saturn’s rings are close to edge on to the Earth, perhaps the energy of the moment allows for a balanced and more open attitude? As lord of time itself, these ring plane crossings may convey to individuals born at these times an attitude of being able to see both sides of a situation with a holistic perspective that is not so much saturnine as it is open to adopting new approaches that have far-reaching consequences. Perhaps those individuals born with Saturn’s rings aligned to the Earth are more able to transcend boundaries. **

The Storming of the Bastille (below inner chart) the event which sparked the French Revolution in 1789 happened with Saturn at 22-23 Pisces, again in the midst of a ring plane crossing.Shortly before the uprising, on 17 June, representatives of the middle classes established a National Assembly to develop a French constitution. The king was forced to acknowledge their authority. While Bastille Prison held only a handful of prisoners, the fall of the fortress was of major symbolic importance and led to the overthrow of the French Monarchy.

Above chart Zero Aries shown as exact times of events unknown.

The revolutionary events in France and in America came about a few years after the discovery of Uranus. The nature of Uranus has of course become synonymous with sudden changes and rebellion, and yet at the time Uranus was not involved in a major aspect with another outer planet, which is often the case during times of revolution. The fact that Saturn had its rings edge-on to Earth then may help to explain why the people were successful in overthrowing the French Monarchy. Perhaps Saturn in Pisces and its connection with the 12th house (ruler of prisons) also has some significance here?

In 1848, the year when Karl Marx published his Communist Manifesto, (Marx was born in 1818 shortly before the ring plane crossing of 1819) there were major revolutions underway in many corners of Europe. Another event which challenged the establishment was also held that year; the first ever Women’s Rights Convention was convened in Seneca Falls (above outer chart) US. 1848 was a few years before the Uranus-Pluto conjunction of 1851,  so while there were revolutionary energies at work in any case, Saturn’s ring plane crossing may have helped speed up the process. Interestingly, the transiting Nodal axis was aligning with Saturn in 1848 too, in this case at exactly 22 degrees of the Virgo-Pisces polarity.

Another ring crossing occurred in 1891/2 and this one coincided with the Neptune-Pluto conjunction which ushered in the 20th Century bringing with it a powerful force for change and invention in transport and communications.

Zero Aries chart

In 1966 Saturn(above outer chart) was again at 22 Pisces and in the middle of a ring plane crossing amid the tremendous social revolution that was part the 1960s Uranus-Pluto alignment. At times like these, not only is the status quo being challenged by the revolutionary outer planets, Uranus and Pluto, known to bring about generational and collective shifts, but with Saturn’s rings edge on the Earth, systemic and lasting changes can be implemented.

At this current ring plane crossing coming as it does with Saturn and Uranus in opposition, once again revolutionary energies have an opportunity to penetrate traditional Saturnian structures.
This is happening while Saturn reaches its greatest distance from Earth and while Uranus is making its closest approach, suggesting a portal for change is opening. New methods, systems and ideas are likely to gain acceptance by the powers that be. The cosmic message is crystal clear. The future is here and it’s here now!

© Michele Finey 2009 - Agent36

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C*I*A Astro-Links 10

www.nickcampion.com - Visit Nick Campions website which contains many good articles on Mundane astrology.
www.edtamplin.com - An Australian astrologer - a specialist in the Mundane arena.

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