Astro Blog

Cool Future

Recorded history on Earth did not begin so long ago. Egyptian hieroglyphics appeared about 6000 years back and the first phonetic writing appeared shortly after. Theoretically this is a span of only 200 generations. In this period, at least until recently, people have huddled around fires both to keep warm and to cook food. Flames and glowing coals is what they had. Smoke continually darkened their living places and got in their eyes. They gathered around and told stories, watching the shifting shadows curiously. There was day and light, and there was night and dark. In this world of night and day, philosophies developed, and they were characterized by polarity, by good and evil, god and the devil. Reality was defined by opposites – light/dark, good/bad, true/false, matter/energy, body/mind, subject/object. Read More

Brave New World

West of Denmark, stretching over 1000 kilometers north and well into the Arctic Circle is the land of long-legged, liberated blondes, of unlimited social benefits, of Nobel and his peace prize, of phones by Eriksson and cars by Volvo. It seems such a peaceful country – some would say boring even. You can drive for hundreds of kilometers and all you will see is pine forest and lakes; it’s beautiful, but somewhat enervating. Sweden .That is why it is all the more surprising to witness murder and misery featuring so often when Sweden finally does hit the news. There has recently been a discussion in astrological circles about which horoscope is appropriate for Sweden , and the Swedish astrologer Monica Werneman has made a convincing argument for June 6th 1523 . (Note 1) Read More

Too close to the Sun

It was whilst I was cradling my dying kitten on my breast that I began to muse on the apparent split in the astrological world concerning psychological and horary astrology. For a psychological astrologer some of the terms associated with traditional and horary astrology must be something of a mystery. Like “combust” (Note 1) and “cazimi” (Note 2) for example. Just an hour previously I had been viewing the rare inferior conjunction of Venus and the Sun, which was made even more remarkable by the fact that Venus visibly retrograded over the lower face of the sun for the first time in 122 years. The sun momentarily had a beauty spot – but, astrologically speaking, was that a good thing?During the 1980’s revolutionary trends in astrology circles worldwide brought a new consciousness to horoscope interpretation. The individual was placed at the center very much in control of his or her fate, and encouraged to manifest as much free will as could be mustered. The psychological approach, triggered by such authors as Liz Greene (Note 3) and Stephen Arroyo (Note 4), brought a wave of optimism and a deep understanding. If only we could understand the basic psychological mechanisms involved, then we can control them and change our behavior. We could be masters of our destiny. Read More

Hot Stuff: Venus and the Sun

There are some (men) who think that there can be no better role in life than being the male lion in a pride. With a choice of delightful females, who also put the food on the table, there is very little for a lion in his prime to worry about. That is unless you happen to be Waldemar, the unfortunate young lion who was put together with two demanding lionesses in Copenhagen Zoo last fall. They ate him. Read More

The Washington Snipers

As I sit down to write this article – October 24th 2002 – two suspects have been arrested for the murderous sniper attacks in the Washington area over the past three weeks. According to CNN, sources identified the two as John Allen Muhammad, 42, a Gulf War veteran and his 17-year-old stepson John Lee Malvo, a Jamaican citizen. As I was about to attempt to predict who was responsible for these killings, I may now have been spared the possible embarrassment of getting it wrong. Read More

India & Pakistan

In these tense days of June 2002, the main focus of world attention is on the border of India and Pakistan. Much to the dismay of India, who claim to have the situation under control, American and EU countries have all advised their citizens to leave both countries now, in the event of a war that could escalate to a nuclear confrontation. Read More

John McCain – Outsider on the loose

The Situation in February 2000A couple of months ago I wrote an article about the US election with the data available at the time for the candidates in the running: Bill Bradley, George W Bush and Al Gore. Since then data for John McCain has become available, and a quick study of his chart shows a strong chance of his winning the presidency. To everyone’s surprise he won the New Hampshire primaries, knocking Bush – the other main Republican candidate – into second place. Bush later won in South Carolina, but McCain pulled out another surprise in Michigan on February 22, and in his home state Arizona. At the time of writing Bush is a worried man, even though he has the party machine behind him, as well as considerable funds. In theory McCain is still the outsider, and the next few months will decide which of the two republican candidates is selected in the August party convention. Read More

MELT DOWN IN JAPAN

Every astrologer knew it was going to happen. But it still caught them by surprise. You check out the last time it happened (31st March 1927 and 13th January 1928) and study the historical events. But 84 years have gone by and civilization has changed immeasurably, making it difficult to predict what will happen in the 21st century, when Uranus once again enters Aries. Nobody wants to be a prophet of doom, so many predictions have been reasonably upbeat. But we know that once Uranus enters Aries it is just a matter of time before it goes on to square Pluto… and that’s a kind of meltdown, isn’t it?

Actually when Uranus entered Aries 84 years ago there was an 8.0 magnitude earthquake in Tango, Japan (Note 1), but then Japan did not have any nuclear reactors. Weeks afterwards there was an 8.3 magnitude quake in China which killed 200,000 people. It is curious to see that the 8.9 magnitude earthquake, the largest recorded in Japan’s history actually struck when Uranus was at 29.57 Pisces and it was the ravages of the ocean (Pisces) that went on the create the energy (Aries) crisis. The best symbol for this transition point from Pisces to Aries was perhaps the image of a large ship carried into the middle of a Japanese city.

So welcome to Uranus, which is commencing a new 84 year cycle through the solar system. In 1927 to 1928 there was a myriad of inventions like color television, the first TV broadcasts, the flight of Lindbergh from New York to Paris and tremendous advances in commercial passenger flight. 84 years on science has advanced exponentially. In March last year, two months before Uranus made its first (short) entry into Aries, Richard Branson of the Virgin empire successfully launched the first test flight of a commercial spacecraft, and such pioneering innovation is typical of Uranus in Aries. You can already book your flight. (Note 2)

Uppermost in people’s mind at the time of writing – one week after the Japanese earthquake – is the fate of the nuclear reactors in Japan.

EARTHQUAKE: March 11th, 2011 14:46:23 at 38N22 and 142E32 (AS 17.57)

You might expect to see powerful planets on the MC/IC or AS/DS at the time of the earthquake and subsequent devastating tsunami, but there is nothing except MC square Venus. But Pluto is at the exact midpoint of Saturn/Uranus, and Saturn is exactly sesquiquadrate the Moon/Neptune square. And of course Uranus in square the Moon’s nodes… never a good sign when it comes to disturbances on Earth. For those interested in harmonics, the Sun, Moon and Pluto configure as an exact conjunction in the 5th harmonic, in other words they are in exact quintile.  The Ascendant in the earthquake chart is in fact on Japan’s Saturn (Note 3) and Neptune at 29.12 Aquarius is exactly square Japan’s own Neptune… and in the next couple of months Neptune changes sign and will transit Japan’s Mercury at 0.36 Pisces. Obviously the repercussions of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear failure on Japan’s communication and infrastructure will be apparent for months to come.

Whilst Japan builds all major constructions to cope with earthquakes and has training programs for the population in the event of tsunamis, the combination of earthquake and tsunami was enough to create a nuclear disaster for Japan. Reactors automatically shut down with the occurrence of the earthquake, but the tsunami knocked out diesel back-up generators that supply cooling water. It seems even when you stop a nuclear reaction, the fuel still gives off vast amounts of energy, and if the coolant is not constantly circulated, the water turns to steam and lots of explosive hydrogen is produced, which is why the buildings that house the reactors exploded, making it more and more difficult to cool nuclear fuel which is still producing immense heat.

This is the process that leads to meltdown, and as mentioned before, Uranus in fire sign Aries, moving to square Pluto, is the astrological signature of nuclear meltdown. As this aspect gets stronger and stronger over the next four years, this does not bode well for the nuclear industry, which was just entering a new phase of popularity with the growing shortage of oil. Germany, Sweden and Britain are going to have great difficulty continuing their growing investment in the nuclear industry, for which the Fukushima reactor explosions have been a total disaster, even though modern reactors (the Fukushima plant is from the seventies) have in fact many more safeguards in place. (Note 4)

Certainly for Japan, it is unlikely that public confidence in nuclear power will recover in the near future. One of the main consequences for Japan of the entry of Uranus into Aries, will be major efforts to find alternative power sources, which in the long term may be a good thing. Right now, as Neptune changes sign on April 4th to conjoin Japan’s Ascendant-ruler Mercury, which, being in the 10th house is related to government policy, there will be disarray for months to come. Neptune goes on to square Japan’s Pluto, which may bring some kind of dissolution of the Japan’s nuclear industry.

Adrian Duncan 20th March, 2011.

1. Chronology of World History – Ken Polsson

2. Check out http://www.virgingalactic.com/

3. The Meiji chart from 1889: Feb 11th 12.05 LMT Tokyo (AS 9.50 GE)

4. Modern systems can shut down and cool fuel without power being available, and have double and even triple backup systems. www.guardian.co.uk 20.03.2011

Saturn in Leo and the Grand Cross

If astrological tradition is anything to go by, then Saturn has been going through a particularly difficult period in these years. Give it the limitations of Capricorn with plenty of hard work, self-discipline and obstacles to overcome, and Saturn is quite happy. Perhaps not actually happy, but at least not disgruntled. Put it in soft and vulnerable Cancer, and it behaves quite inappropriately. What can it do with all that need for security and belonging? Saturn is a bit stiff when it has to deal with all the mushy emotional stuff, but if you want a nice hedge, fence or wall, then Saturn will be pleased to oblige.Perhaps that is why Israel has been so busy constructing their “fence” since their progressed new moon, which took place at 14 Cancer in September 2001 at the time of the terror attack on New York . Winding its way a little too far into Palestinian territory on the West Bank , this massive construction is a testimony to just how clumsy Saturn can be when in exile in Cancer. America , reeling from the grave wound inflicted on its financial heart, was hardly in a position to object, and feeble protests from EU countries were brushed off as anti-Semitism. Europe does not have a strong record for protecting Jews.

Walls do not last forever, but a good wall should last 29 years – if the Berlin Wall is anything to go by – so Palestinians can expect their trumpets to reduce the Israeli wall to dust around 2030. (Note 1)

The equivalent wall in America is the Homeland Security Act, which has effectively prevented many of the best young foreign brains from entering the United States and created the impression amongst those who have managed to enter the country – and added photos of their irises to the vast homeland security database – of a brave new world indeed. America is a Cancerian country, so security has been something of an issue post 9/11 and during the Saturn in Cancer period. It is not surprising then, that the electorate re-elected their Cancer president, George W Bush in 2004. He was the candidate smart enough to campaign on a platform of security.

On July 16th 2005 , Saturn moves on into Leo and the issue of security will fade from public awareness, to be replaced by concerns about leadership and problems regarding mass entertainment, child-rearing and celebrity affairs. Saturn was last in Leo from 1976 to 1978 when it made some very uncomfortable squares to a deadly Uranus in Scorpio. This was a “death of the future” period with black clad children and punks – who with their Mohican haircuts, and (just to make the message completely clear), metal chains and sharp objects piercing the skin – viciously parodied hippy dreamers. Johnny Rotten himself, of the very Uranus in Scorpio “Sex Pistols”, did manage to immortalize the heartfelt patriotism of the young with his unforgettable “God Save The Queen”. I guess that’s exactly how enthusiastic Saturn in Leo gets about royalty… no wonder it is in exile there.

Clearly the older generation from this period will have felt that a bit of discipline would have been quite a good thing for the young punks, and perhaps some of them will have thought wistfully about that golden age from 1946-1948 when Saturn combined with Pluto in Leo. That was a time when toilet training was all the rage, and young bottoms were placed on potties with the military discipline that was to be expected after 5 years of war.

If there is a sense that Saturn in Leo evokes resistance in children and the urge to tighten up in parents, then we can expect the Saturn ingress in 2005 to bring heavier demands on children as regards education and general behaviour. The perception that children are spoiled and being corrupted will lead to authoritarian attempts at repression. These attempts are doomed to fail – there is no Pluto conjunction to crush resistance now, just an opposition to Neptune to undermine Saturn.

It is the Neptune opposition that will dominate Saturn in Leo as regards children, gambling, life quality, celebrity scandals and anything else concerned with Leo. The Saturn/Neptune synod takes place every 35 years, and the last opposition was in 1972, when limits on oil led to a disastrous economic crash in the West. As Saturn enters Leo here in 2005 and a powerful grand cross is formed, preliminary conditions for later economic downturn are liable to be established. Looking at the graph for this period it can be seen that direct and retrograde Mars knits together Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune over a six month period activating the energy of the four fixed signs and producing a stagnant climate where energy gets inextricably mired.

An erstwhile celebrity in Britain is Tony Blair, who was born under the exact conjunction of Saturn and Neptune in 1953.

See chart : Tony Blair 6.05.1953 6.10 BST Edinburgh (AS 4.50 GE)

Saturn and Neptune are of course very strongly linked to social idealism, and there can be little doubt that Blair – with Ascendant ruler Mercury in Aries opposing the conjunction – passionately believes in applying socialist dreams to create a socialist utopia. With five powerful planets in the 12th house, he probably feels a religious conviction that he is a channel for change. Given that his Taurus sun is square Pluto, any convictions will tend to have a fanatical edge, and with Jupiter also in Taurus, his beliefs tend to be unshakeable. You never get Blair admitting he is wrong.

The Neptune transit to Blair’s Moon in Aquarius was the beginning of the dissolution of his celebrity status. With the vast majority of the British people vociferously against any involvement in Iraq , he supported Bush and declared war. Here the weakness of his Mercury opposition Saturn/Neptune came into the open, for this is an aspect noted for smokescreens and lies. People in Britain felt they had been lied to – and they were – and Tony Blair was revealed to be an ordinary politician very out of touch with his electorate. With transit Neptune moving on to square Blair’s Sun, he managed to win his third term as Prime Minister, but with a greatly reduced majority.

See chart : United Kingdom 1 Jan 1801 0.00 LMT London (AS 7.10 LI)

With the coming grand cross in fixed signs, Britain and Blair are likely to bear the brunt of the economic difficulties on their way. Saturn in Leo will station in opposition to Blair’s Moon at 11.30 Aquarius in November 2005, and his unpopularity is liable to peak at this time. Bearing in mind that 1801 Britain has Mars at 11.46 Taurus in the 8th – in exact square to Blair’s Moon – an implacable resistance is likely. Noting that transit Mars returns to this position in August and November 2005, and January 2006, there will be enormous focus on the deception that occurred when Neptune squared Mars and Britain went to war, and on any economic corruption or scandal that may have resulted. The retrograde Mars suggests withdrawal of troops.

Quite apart from that, the coming grand cross will trigger 1801 Britain’s grand cross involving Saturn at 23 Leo, Neptune at 18 Scorpio, Venus at 16 Aquarius and Mars. This rare constellation will have a profound effect on British political life. The pressure on Blair from 2005 to 2006 will be huge, and his survival is probably at stake. The subsequent pressure on Britain in 2006 and 2007 from the continued Neptune/Saturn opposition, which peaks in June 2007, will create a continued economic downturn and acute discomfort for New Labour.

One of the basic points of the grand cross is Jupiter. When transiting Scorpio it brings knowledge of secrets, and in political terms economic power play and corruption. Jupiter squares Saturn in December, dwells in square to Neptune in the winter of 2006, then squares Saturn twice more in June and October 2006 just as Saturn moves up to oppose Neptune. This is an extremely powerful aspect pattern, and the summer of 2006 is obviously the most dangerous period for Blair. This will also herald economic power battles in the world’s largest economies. Economic cartels will be revealed to have corrupt methods, and Saturn in Leo will reflect political attempts to limit the economic corruption of previously respected leaders.

It is very likely that falling oil production – reflecting the Saturn/Neptune opposition – will trigger an economic crisis in this period. It seems that the activation of the UK chart means that Britain has a central role, and is also profoundly affected by the economic pressures. There are no indications that Britain will give way under pressure – so in relation to the European Union, the lack of flexibility that manifests at this time will severely undermine EU structure. As far as the EU is concerned generally, there will be huge disillusion about further expansion – but when Jupiter later moves into Sagittarius, moves to include Turkey will probably go ahead.

Apart from Britain , another country with significant planets in fixed signs – and a country very sensitive to the Saturn/Neptune cycle – is Russia . The 1917 Revolution chart (Note 2) has a Sun/Mercury in Scorpio in T square to Saturn in Leo opposing Uranus in Aquarius, so the Saturn return here is likely to pile the pressure on Putin too. The 1991 “Flag Up” horoscope has a Venus/Pluto conjunction in Scorpio, so this too is affected by the Saturn/Neptune opposition. Putin has seemed to live a charmed life until now, but he will be in trouble from 2005 to 2007, with special focus on economic scandals. His persecution of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky of the Yukos oil company may come back to haunt him, or he may go on to dismantle the empires of other oligarchs. Still, unrest in Russia is likely to undermine his position.

It is likely that any revered leader or high-profile individual will be vulnerable during the Saturn transit of Leo. Public scepticism will put people off hero-worship, and questions will be asked about what well-known people are doing in their private lives, and how they are using the vast sums of money at their disposal. Pop stars, football players and other stars would be advised to keep a low profile. The likelihood of celebrity sexual scandals is high, as Jupiter in Scorpio focuses on secrets, sexuality and corruption. Public disillusion will reach new heights.

As Jupiter makes the contact with Neptune , bubbles will be inflated and rise to huge heights. The last Jupiter/Pluto square took place as Dot Com company lastminute.com went public, and the crash that followed – devastating thousands of technology companies – happened as Jupiter went on to conjoin Saturn in Taurus. The latest bubble has been the property boom, which is the result of many factors – not least globalisation and the easy transfer of money across borders. Those who have cashed in their equity and partied over the last few years will be experiencing sizeable hangovers. The lesson of Saturn in Leo is clear – the party is over.

Adrian Ross Duncan 15.06.2005

Adrian Ross Duncan was editor of the Astrological Journal from 1998 to 2001, and author of Doing Time on Planet Earth and the recent Astrology: Transformation ad Empowerment. His articles, software and other astrological offerings can be seen at www.worldofwisdom.co.uk

1. Construction was started the Berlin Wall on August 13th 1961 , and demolition started on November 10th 1989 .

2. Russian Revolution. 8 Nov 1917 2.12 St. Petersburg (AS 14.20 VI).

3. Russia – Flag up. 25.12.1991 20.45 Moscow (AS 25.16 LE)

Data from Book of World Horoscopes.

 

Dangerous Seas

A conservative calculation concluded that sixty thousand people were killed in the capital city alone. Not one church or government building was left standing after the earthquake and the subsequent tsunamis and fires. How many others perished on the coastline of Spain and Morocco could never be exactly computed. Waves over ten meters in height swept over the harbor, sinking all the ships and those that had taken refuge in them. The whole harbor disappeared, complete with ships, and no trace of them was subsequently found. In the space of half an hour the city of Lisbon disappeared off the map in what was the greatest natural catastrophe of its time.There have been many earthquakes since, with great loss of life, but the Lisbon disaster stretches across the centuries to form a link with the Sumatran tsunami as regards magnitude and loss of life. The ocean was the killer in both cases. Not surprisingly then, there are remarkable links between the two charts for the events. Read More