Month: August 2007

Jupiter transits through the Houses

Without Jupiter it could be difficult to get out of bed in the morning. Everyday we see to it that we have something to look forward to – a vision to reach, a reward to be enjoyed. So huge is this need that prosperous industries have been built around it. Lotteries, football pools, casinos tune in to our drive to visualize magical good fortune, and we happily pay our money to keep the dream alive. Personal growth industries mobilize our ability to think positively and harness the power of belief… the idea that anything is possible, just as long as we put our minds to it.

When we visualize something with Jupiter, we create an inner picture, an inner feeling or an inner certainty that it will happen. The more we build on this visualization, the more likely it will come true. Because of this positive focus, we simply channel our energy into what makes us happy, and as often as not, if our dreams are within the boundaries of reality – and that Saturn decides – we end up getting what we want. As the saying goes: be careful what you wish for – you might get it.

Beliefs tend to be arrived at through the evidence of our experience through time – Jupiter and Saturn generally work hand in hand. They become solidified into convictions, and these convictions tend to define how our lives develop and expand. Aspects to Jupiter encourage or limit our beliefs, and define what kind of convictions we are attracted to. For example, a Mars/Jupiter conjunction would believe that where there is a will there is a way, whilst a Venus/Jupiter would believe in the principle of abundance (and spend accordingly).

During the course of our lives, there are completely predictable ages at which we will strongly manifest the influence of Jupiter in our lives and redefine our convictions and beliefs. These are of course at the conjunction cycles which take place at the age of 11-12, 23-24, 35-36, 47-48, 59-60, 71-72 and 83-84, and also at various stages of these cycles. The basic factor influencing what we think is possible and shaping our convictions at these times is the birth position of Jupiter by sign. The following texts give some idea of these influences:

Jupiter in Aries

You have a belief in the purity of action, and rather than dithering hesitantly when making a decision you make an intuitive leap based upon a straightforward and uncomplicated view of what is right and what is wrong. Action speaks louder than words as far as you are concerned, and therefore you act, lighting up the path ahead with the torch of righteousness.

Jupiter in Taurus

You believe in the value of material goods, and you are guided by a need to see things grow and to consolidate that growth. You are not convinced by fast talkers, dreamers or anyone with unrealistic plans. A bird in the hand is definitely worth two in the bush. With this attitude you cultivate the soil for fruitful growth.

Jupiter in Gemini

You believe in the power of knowledge and learning, and you can never know enough. You see value in expanding your network of contacts, improving communications methods and language skills and reaching out socially. The more enthusiastic you get, the more you spread yourself, which can dilute your ability to achieve your visions.

Jupiter in Cancer

You have an instinctive understanding of the value of bonding, and this leads you to channel your dreams into creating the best environment for your family. Happiness is in the home, or in creating a nourishing place for people to be. What has meaning for you is a sense of belonging, and you will be both inclusive and protective of those you care for.

Jupiter in Leo

You know that people need someone to look up to, and you believe that person can be you. Growth for you is increasing your qualities as a human being, and expressing these qualities through the things you create. Gaining insight into yourself has a high priority, but you would also like to make a big splash when you announce your arrival on the scene.

Jupiter in Virgo

You have a great body of knowledge concerning administration and organization which gives you skills in dealing with people at work, and insight into interrelationships both on a practical, health and spiritual level. You have strong convictions about the supremacy of efficiency and good planning.

Jupiter in Libra

You believe in balance, and balance for you is on every level – in your relationships, in your choices and in your aesthetic judgment. Fairness is supremely important, and to be fair you believe in seeing things from every angle. You also believe in refined human behavior and are an example to others in this respect.

Jupiter in Scorpio

Having experienced the greatest highs and the deepest lows you believe that Life can come up with anything. Therefore you believe in the supremacy of spirit as a factor of survival. You are determined to uproot falsehood and inauthenticity, and are unflinchingly determined to get to the bottom of everything. You want security, but are prepared to lose it.

Jupiter in Sagittarius

You believe that there is exciting territory to explore both in your inner life and your outer life. There are no limits for the spirit – the liberating factor in life is insight and understanding. You are looking to expand this understanding by any means possible, though study and travel are your preferred methods.

Jupiter in Capricorn

Your opinions are considerably constrained by the demands of society. A strong sense of duty guides you, and the insights you gain remind you that some kind of structure is necessary to contain growth. Optimism is therefore tempered by a somber realism. You measure success by the concrete achievements you have attained.

Jupiter in Aquarius

You believe in the brotherhood of man, and are perplexed by the fact that others do not see how crucial solidarity is. Your opinions are strong and uncompromising, but expressed gently out of consideration for others. You see liberation by embracing change and would like to serve as a bridge of consciousness between tradition and renewal.

Jupiter in Pisces

What is important for you is the unfettered power of the imagination. You see no limitations to belief – if you can think something, it can be done. Whilst experience shows that dreams often founder on the rocks of reality, nothing takes away your faith that there can be a liberation for human beings.

The sign position of Jupiter, tempered by the aspects it makes, will generally define what people believe is possible and/or important. As such Jupiter represents a kind of belief filter that selectively chooses what is possible or not. As beliefs develop into convictions, this filter can be quite a limiting factor in our life experience. Therefore people tend to develop on a predictable path as regards expansion and attainment in their life. Jupiter in Capricorn never gets beyond the conviction that achievement only comes with hard work; Jupiter in Leo can never remove personal ego from the equation of happiness. Still, every time Jupiter is activated in the chart, there is a chance to reorientate and redefine what is wanted from the future.

Opportunities for growth, expansion and success also arise in the 12 year cycle of Jupiter through the 12 houses, and these influences are described below:

Jupiter transiting 1st House

After a period when there has been growth in an inner spiritual level and a certain satisfaction in having a low profile, the time has come for you to actualize your vision of how you would like to be in the future. This means putting your beliefs and convictions on the line and incorporating them into your lifestyle. Outer events challenge you to take a position on what is right and what is wrong, and you need to state this position with the full force of your personality.

Jupiter transiting 2nd House

Having gained tremendous insight into the direction your life is to take, the focus moves on your earning capacity, and you gain a better understanding as to what it takes to strengthen your economy, and what assets you need to develop. This understanding leads to increased personal resources and a broadening of your economic base, which will provide the foundation for increased growth. Guard against over-spending.

Jupiter transiting 3rd House

Once you have learned how to capitalize on your unique resources, then you will need to reach out to others and generally widen your footprint in the environment. This leads to travel and an expansion of your skills educationally. This is a great year to widen your network of contacts. Through increased communication on all levels, you learn how to make sure-footed progress.

Jupiter transiting 4th House

Having developed your education and communication skills, there is an urge to expand your influence and potential on the home front. This brings insight and good fortune connected with property and family, and you can expect considerable expansion in this area. You broaden your emotional foundations, partly because you gain understanding of the influence of your upbringing, and partly because you are curious to learn more about how to create a nurturing and stimulating environment.

Jupiter transiting 5th House

There is a feeling that your emotional base is secure, and at this point you are burning to channel your energy into something creative. You have the confidence to take on much more, whether it is a love relationship, a child or simply a project where you put yourself on the line. Your confidence is at a high point, and you simply have to celebrate your strengths by manifesting your talents.

Jupiter transiting 6th House

After a period of self-realization, you are now more interested into how your talents can be put to good use for the sake of others. You want to understand just how you fit in to the practical scheme of things, and indeed how you can bring more efficiency into that role. You make yourself indispensable in your working relations and generally improve the quality of your everyday life.

Jupiter transiting 7th House

With your working life functioning optimally, you now how an urge to gain insight into important personal relationships, like marriage and business partnerships. Learning to make the right choices and judgments is important to you, and you may have many discussions of principle before getting it right. Still, this is a very fortunate and happy period for both business and love, not least because you meet positive and influential people.

Jupiter transiting 8th House

With important relationships in your life bringing enhanced satisfaction, you realize the need to gain more depth and psychological understanding of issues that are hidden beneath the surface. This is a time when you discover unpleasant truths, yet develop a tolerant and philosophical attitude to them. You discover how much can be gained by sharing, benefit from the generosity of others and can also get involved in large investment projects.

Jupiter transiting 9th House

After a rather heavy emotional period, during which many hopes were dimmed, you now develop a yearning to expand your intellectual horizons either through study or travel. This is an optimistic period when you ask important questions about the meaning and direction of your life, and gain considerable philosophical insight. You will meet wise mentors who broaden your attitude, and help you define your attitude to moral issues, right and wrong and political or cultural matters.

Jupiter transiting 10th House

This is a period when you capitalize on the knowledge and experience you have garnered earlier to make a concrete success of your life. Good fortune smiles on professional endeavors at this time, and you can expand your sphere of influence. Influential people will support you, and if you strive for recognition, you will achieve it. If you go for your hopes and dreams now, then your expectations have a good chance of being fulfilled.

Jupiter transiting 11th House

Having presided over a period of professional success and expansion, you are interested in developing your social and professional relationships and enjoying the benefits of the status you have attained. This leads to an expansion of your social circle, and you will meet influential people who broaden your attitude and define your views. There is a whole new panorama of possibilities regarding your hopes and dreams.

Jupiter transiting 12th House

A cycle of achievement seems to ebb out in this period, as the hopes and dreams of previous years fade. To find new meaning in your life you look within, seeking to understand your place in the broader scheme of things – also spiritually. You discover the inner riches of the imagination, and instinctively understand how all things dissolve with time. You know at this point that happiness is much more than material success.

It is probably true that the condition of Jupiter in the birth chart determines just how many benefits are experienced, when Jupiter transits the 12 houses. But whatever the benefits, Jupiter does not guarantee that they will last. The story of the seven good years and the seven bad years is worth remembering. It is all very well to think positively and go for growth, but unless there is a strategy for consolidating expansion, then there will be no structure to contain that growth when expansion ceases. It is the judicious balance between the positive attitude of Jupiter and Saturn’s skeptical voice of experience that creates lasting growth in the long run.

Adrian Ross Duncan 18th July 2007

Saturn,Capricorn & Aquarius

There is no planet that takes its time quite like Saturn. It never rushes, never accomplishes anything rapidly, always seems to go a little too slowly. From it we learn the qualities of patience, stoicism and perseverance. Time drags on just slow enough for us to actually build something lasting. Any faster and the foundations would not be solid enough. Any slower, and we would give up the struggle. But when Saturn enters Cancer in its 29½ year journey around the Sun, it does seem a little unfair for those souls who are so sensitive to the travails of this planet, namely Capricorns and Aquarians, or those with these two signs particularly strong in their charts. It takes 5 years for Saturn to traverse Cancer and Leo – the opposing signs of Capricorn and Aquarius – and in this long period Saturn it is in its two signs of detriment, weakened and debilitated.

Which really is no fun. For anyone. Saturn in Cancer brought out the worst aspects of nationalism or “patriotism”, and contributed to the urge to fortify or wall in borders to keep foreigners out. Israel walls out the Palestinians, Bush walls out the Mexicans, Europe walls out all those refugees who desperately want to escape chaos in the rest of the world. On a more personal level, the transit of Saturn through Cancer from June 2003 to August 2005 placed its heavy finger on emotional weaknesses especially as regards family duty, bring a time of emotional struggle for those who did not have their house in order. For Capricorns, it emphasized partnership weaknesses and demanded the sacrifice of personal needs in favor of partnership needs. For Aquarians it placed the focus on work, health and employment, forcing them to address deficiencies in this area.

Saturn in Leo has been particularly bad for political leadership in the period from 2005 to 2007. Bush in the USA has lost all his credibility, even amongst Republicans. The swagger of this man, who always seems not quite to be able to fill out his suit, like a small boy, is very characteristic of Saturn in Leo. (Though he has Leo rising and Saturn in fact in Cancer). Tony Blair has squandered massive popularity through lying to himself and to the people. Jacques Chirac in France fumbled through his last weak years of his presidency.

As the new millennium began, Saturn had conjoined Jupiter in Taurus in its twenty-year conjunction cycle with that planet. With a stellium of seven planets in Taurus in May 2000, a completely new economic cycle started with the Dot com crash, which actually also heralded a long period of investment in solid values like property, bringing in time large economic bonuses for sensible souls who owned property.

But the defining moment for the millennium was the opposition of Saturn in Gemini to Pluto in Sagittarius and the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York – the symbol of western economic imperialism. The world was rent asunder. Polarized. Religious fundamentalism was suddenly on the agenda, both that of Islam and that of American neoconservatives. A strange war against an indefinable enemy began – this “war on terrorism”. On the personal front, the Saturn/Pluto opposition brought individual twin-tower crises, as life structures with weak foundations also disintegrated. For Capricorns this particularly affected work structures (6th/12 house), for Aquarians children and social structures (5th/11th house). [See point 1. in graph]

Saturn in Gemini went on to trine Uranus in Aquarius [point 2. in graph] in what was a honeymoon period for Western foreign policy with a broad alliance supportive of American intervention in the aftermath of 9/11. This led to a successful overthrow of the Taliban in Afghanistan and the manipulation of the UN into a half-hearted support of the invasion of Iraq. This was the perfect time for the export of Western democracy. But then Saturn went into Cancer, and things turned sour. Democracy has not proved to sit very well amongst the tribal divisions of Iraq, where clan is far more important than airy concepts of equality.

The next major aspect for Saturn has been the triple opposition to Neptune [point 3. in graph] from Leo to Aquarius. Basically Saturn is on its last legs at this time. Having waded through the mud of Cancer, it is completely defeated by the Neptune’s fog and quicksand. There is only one thing for Saturn to do – roll over and accept defeat. (Though not if you are President Bush… the situation in Iraq can be saved by a “troop surge”. Poor troops.)

On a personal level, circumstances that are seemingly beyond control undermine the situation of the individual in a long and tiring process of dissolution. Being Saturn-ruled, this naturally affects Capricorns and Aquarians most. For Capricorns it is connected with financial, psychological and security issues. For Aquarians, a long drawn out struggle to define the meaning of life, children and relationships is the issue. It is not the worst thing to surrender, or to accept that there are higher forces – karma perhaps – that cannot be avoided. The lesson of Saturn/Neptune is that everything in life is transitory and will be dissolved by time. The kind of acceptance that arises as a consequence is extremely enriching spiritually. As far as the refinement of the soul is concerned, the losers wins, and the winner loses.

At the time of writing (May 2007) Saturn is moving direct in Leo as in trines Jupiter, and things are looking up. Suddenly Saturn-ruled Aquarius and Capricorn start getting the feeling that a 5-year cycle of struggle is about to ease up. The coming trine to Pluto in August 2007 at 26 degrees Leo/Sagittarius marks a Saturn ready to flex its muscles – reborn and ready for a bit of power play. Where Aquarians, with Saturn in their solar 7th house, have had to consistently compromise in relationships and tread real carefully, they will now be prepared to come with an ultimatum if necessary. They are not prepared to be trodden on at this time. Politically, there may be a resolution connected with Iranian nuclear ambitions at this time. Capricorns, who have been going through a period of considerable anxiety with Saturn in their solar 8th house, can expect a powerful emotional catharsis.

When Saturn finally comes into Virgo on September 2nd 2007, there are many who will breathe a collective sigh of relief, as incompetent and over-inflated leaders disappear from the scene, and a new spirit of practical humility takes over. This transition to Virgo is eased by the entrance of Jupiter into Capricorn on December 18th, where it goes on to make a trine to Saturn at 7 degrees in January 2008… just as Pluto moves into Capricorn. Basically this is going to be a wonderfully constructive period – a time to heal and repair. (Though the repeated Mars opposition to Pluto from January – March 2008 points to a crisis in other areas.)

But what a major transition this is for Capricorns, who not only get Jupiter and Pluto entering their sign, but also have Saturn moving out of its most uncomfortable placement in the solar 8th house, and into the optimistic 9th. This will result in a radical lifestyle change, bringing a major focus on foreign countries, international travel and intellectual training. For Aquarians, Saturn’s move into their solar 8th house will highlight working on psychological factors, and worrying about security issues perhaps, but the trine to Jupiter brings a reasonably painless transition, and crucially Saturn has moved out of its opposition placement.

The major event for Saturn in 2008 is its opposition to Uranus – something that takes place only once every 46 years. [See point 4. in graph.] The first opposition takes place at 18 degrees Virgo/Pisces at the time of the US election in November 2008. The aspect repeats in February 2009 at 20 degrees and in September at 24 degrees. Obviously this planetary cycle will evoke changes similar to those in the mid-sixties, notably focus on an enormous generation gap. It will be interesting to see how the virtual world of Uranus in Pisces will collide with the practical world of Saturn in Virgo. Web environments like the video world of YouTube.com will have a huge effect on attitudes. Ultimately the anarchic presentation of material that the TV media prefer to keep hidden, or do not have the resources to show, will completely change the power balance, and have a huge new effect on elections.

For Capricorns this opposition from November 2008 to September 2009, will bring the bridging on worlds on an intellectual level. Radical new educational and communication methods will bring challenges as Capricorns reorient the way they understand their position in the world. New languages, new studies, new countries, international commuting are some of many opportunities. For Aquarians there is a focus on new resources, and a struggle to create economic security with new methods. This will be a time of major psychological challenge and growth, when a balance must be found between the ghosts of the past, and the dreams for the future.

Finally on October 29th 2009 Saturn moves into Libra, where it is exalted. Whatever challenges arise at this time – and a major T-square is approaching involving Uranus, Pluto and Saturn – for Capricorns and Aquarius this will at least be a time when they have strength and dignity. While Saturn was in Cancer and Leo, its debilitated position meant that even if there were relatively good aspects, the benefits would be muted. But when Saturn is exalted, even its difficult aspects will not be enough to throw it off balance. So for Capricorns, when Saturn will be in the solar 10th house and Pluto the solar first, there will be enormous strength and power to recreate ambitions and transform the career to create a new future. For Aquarians, with Saturn now in the solar 9th, there will be a world of new opportunity, where many dreams are fulfilled – not least because of a long-running Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in Aquarius all through 2009.

The first square between Saturn and Pluto takes place in January 2010, and we can expect some pretty major political reorganization at this time. What makes it considerably more spicy, is that Uranus enters fiery Aries, recreating aspect patterns that were dominant in the 1930’s. So in July 2010 there is an extraordinary square from Pluto at 3 Capricorn to a Uranus/Saturn opposition at 0 Aries/Libra. Political unrest will sweep the world at this time, and whilst Saturn in Libra will strive to maintain balance – Congress in the USA will be particularly active trying to mediate between individual extremism and state authority – the long term political prospects seem very messy. In fact Uranus will square Pluto not three times, not five times, but an incredibly seven times between 2012 and 2015, and with Saturn moving into powerful Scorpio at this time, the world will be needing some superheroes.

Graph of Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto

Adrian Ross Duncan 19th May 2007.

The Death Penalty

Crucifixion anyone? Drowning, beating to death, stoning, burning alive, impalement, hanging… many methods have been invented to take the life of humans who have been judged to be criminals by their fellow men. In the past, seeing as there were not so many mass entertainment possibilities, executions were quite an event and drew large crowds. That is not to say many people did not have strong sensitivities – already in the early Middle Ages powerful voices were heard condemning the death penalty in Britain, though there was a resurgence of executions under Henry VIII, when you could get hanged for almost anything, like cutting down a tree. In the USA there were also strong voices against the death penalty, including some of the founding fathers and also Benjamin Franklin. America inherited many of England’s capital offences, and included a few of their own, like stealing grapes and killing chickens.

Nowadays, it is pretty difficult to get yourself executed. First of all, it is no use living in a major democracy; capital punishment was deemed uncivilized decades ago. The USA will do it for you, although there are 12 states that have banned it, including Michigan which did so in 1847 and was indeed the first democracy to do so. In America, Texas is the place to get it done – with over 370 executions since 1976. It helps to be black, though being poor does it too. If you would like to increase the odds of execution Singapore is the country that executes the highest number of people in proportion to the population. Asian countries generally approve of capital punishment, as does the USA where a 2000 international Gallup Poll showed 66% for (in contrast to Western Europe’s 34% for). If you do not want to hang around endlessly on Death Row, the best place is China, where you are executed almost immediately after sentencing. With 3400 executions in 2004, 90% of executions worldwide took place in China. (Note 1)

The execution seen by most people will have been that of Saddam Hussein, thanks to the availability of camera phone video recordings. Google seems to register about 20 million views, so that human tendency to gape at other’s misfortune is still alive and well.

HOROSCOPE: 30.12.2006 6 am Baghdad AS 22.09 SG

One of the main issues at Saddam Hussein’s execution was that of dignity. He was filmed and jeered at, and the trapdoor was activated before he had finished his prayers. As the attendees were mostly Shiites (Hussein was Sunni), it gave a strong impression of revenge rather than justice. Looking at the chart for the moment, Saddam Hussein is represented by Ascendant ruler Jupiter dignified in its own sign, and he was the only one who actually maintained his dignity throughout the process. Mars in Sagittarius square the nodal axis is more associated with revenge than justice. Over the coming two weeks Mars approached Pluto, and at the approximate time of the conjunction, Saddam Hussein’s brother in law was also hanged, and decapitated in the process, again provoking international protest. (Note 2.)

Uranus in Pisces in the 3rd house in Hussein’s execution chart probably symbolizes the use of cell phones to spread the video material, and the square to Jupiter shows how Saddam’s fate became a collective event. The approaching conjunction of Uranus with the nodal axis will bring similar electrifying media events over the coming months.

The issue of executions of this sort is becoming globally relevant now as Pluto, that recently demoted dwarf planet, is at 26 degrees 58 Sagittarius, which is in fact the exact position of the Galactic Center – the conjunction is exact to one or two minutes of arc. Humanity is therefore asking serious questions about the right to take human life. With the arrival of Jupiter in Sagittarius a month prior to Saddam Hussein’s execution, the whole question of international justice and the death penalty is coming to the fore. When Jupiter conjoins Pluto in December 2007 there may be a radical evolution of world opinion regarding the death penalty. With the Olympic Games taking place in China just months after, it could be that the Chinese government would consider it expedient to declare a moratorium on capital punishment for example. The US had a moratorium from 1967 – 1977, but resumed capital punishment after this date. As it is a vote winner in the US, and an election is coming, it is difficult to see any change there at this time, though the example the US sets is used by many other countries to justify their continued policy of execution.

Pluto is also trining Saturn in this period, and this aspect too could hint at restrictions being placed on the taking of life. This trine becomes exact just once – at 26 degrees in August 2007 – again activating the Galactic Center. It is likely that the Saturn/Pluto is related to the use of capital punishment. The 1967 US moratorium took place with these two planets in opposition, whilst when the moratorium ended with the execution of Gary Gilmore on January 17th 1977, Pluto was sextile Saturn within ½ degree. So capital punishment was outlawed with the opposition and allowed again with the sextile.

Perhaps the most significant execution of a head of state was that of Louis XVI in 1793. This took place at the height of the revolution and it naturally sent reverberations throughout the royal families of Europe.

HOROSCOPE: 21.01.1793 10.20 Paris AS 13.22 AR

This execution heralded the end of an era in Europe, and the grand cross involving the Uranus/Pluto opposition and Jupiter in Scorpio with Moon in Taurus shows the terror regime of the time. The judgment of Jupiter in Scorpio was obviously death in this period, where Paris was awash in blood from the guillotine. Here also Saturn is sextile Pluto.

150 years previously at the previous Uranus/Pluto opposition, a similar earth-shaking event took place when Charles 1st of England was beheaded under the new republic of Oliver Cromwell.

HOROSCOPE: 30.01.1649 14.04 London AS 12.11 CN

This chart is even more striking than the Louis XVI execution chart, with a massive grand cross in mutable signs. This time Saturn is in conjunction with Pluto. In both charts the Sun is in Aquarius, and on both occasions it is the people who have taken the power. In this chart the Jupiter/Pluto trine makes a grand trine with the Sun, which shows how ideological enthusiasm triumphs over humanitarian considerations.

These royal executions of the past had huge historical significance, partly because they took place at very significant astrological moments, when rare planetary alignments showed the reversal of heaven and earth, as trends towards democracy unseated the aristocratic power base. The execution of Saddam Hussein can hardly be compared to this, much as he would have liked it to. It could be argued that the dominant astrological trend is the trine of Pluto in Sagittarius to a weak but dictatorial Saturn in Leo, and that with Jupiter in its own sign Sagittarius, justice was done. Perhaps the greater significance of this event is the Jupiter/Uranus square and the role of media in displaying events such as this for all to see. This square seems to have exacerbated the religious divisions in Arab society, rather than bring any form of closure.

In previous historical periods, the general idea was to also inflict as much discomfort as possible when executing criminals. They were really meant to pay for their crimes. In Britain a favorite practice was being hung, drawn and quartered – the idea being that it took a certain amount of time before you actually died. The guillotine was a new democratic method which was meant to reduce the element of pain and revenge. Today this has been perfected in the United States with the injection of poisons. Relatives of the victims are invited to attend so they can attain closure.

The historical trend towards minimizing suffering at execution will in the end eliminate execution. At present surveys show 52% of people in favor of the death penalty worldwide, but in the democracies of Europe and South America, this percentage is 34 and 37 respectively. If western democracy becomes the norm in future societies, the death penalty will ultimately be banned everywhere. For example Russia declared a moratorium on the death penalty in 1999. A New Jersey commission has shown that it is cheaper to imprison a person for life than to have the death penalty. They concluded that executing a small number of persons guilty of murder is not sufficiently compelling to justify the risk of making an irreversible mistake either, as DNA evidence has shown time and again that some convicted murderers simply did not commit the crime.

The question remains: when will there be a worldwide abolition of the death penalty? As I write this question and look at the horary chart that forms as a result, I am struck by the fact that the Sun is at 26.58 Capricorn exactly conjoining the MC. This represents the judgment of society, here the death penalty. As the US (Sibley) Pluto is at 27.33 Capricorn, the horoscope keys in to the anxiety factor in America, which is perhaps a primary reason US citizens are so keen on execution. The media in the USA – Mercury in Cancer opposition Pluto – whips up fear through its sensational reporting of terrible crimes, and this unrestrained sensationalism is a major reason for the proliferation of weapons and their murderous use.

HOROSCOPE: When will capital punishment be abolished? 17.01.2007 12.25 Odense AS 3.46 GE

In the horary chart there is a Pluto/Mars/Moon conjunction in the 8th house– not exactly a life-enhancing combination. This stellium affirms the relevance of the horary question, and as far as Mars in Capricorn is concerned, state execution is a valid punishment. But the Moon is in the same sign as the Sun, and there will be a new moon at 28.41 Capricorn. The fact that the moon is at the end of its cycle could indicate that capital punishment also is. I think therefore that the Pluto return to its 27.33 Capricorn position in the 4th July chart, which will take place in 2022, 15 years from now, will signify the final reckoning regarding the death penalty in the US. And, when the United States abolishes the taking of human life by the state, remaining governments will surely also do so.

Adrian Duncan 17th January 2007

1. Information from www.deathpenaltyinfo.org

2. This execution took place on January 15th at 3.00 a.m.