The following article will appear in the next issue of The International Astrologer:
Asteroid Anecdotes
By Zip Dobyns
As our readers know, for thousands of years charts drawn for the entry of the Sun into the cardinal signs have been a major technique used to facilitate our understanding of the world. Each chart is valid for the following three months until the next entry of the Sun into 0 degrees of Aries, Cancer, Libra, or Capricorn. The planetary signs and aspects are the same for all of earth, but the horoscope houses depend on the place on earth from which the sky is viewed. The Libra 2002 ingress is a fascinating one when we look at the sky from the U.S. capital and from Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.
As we add new factors in astrology, we continue to gain new insights into the “state of the cosmic mind.” I have found the minor planets, the asteroids, to be especially amazing, though I also use the Antivertex and East Point as auxiliary Ascendants, the nodes of all the planets, midpoints, Arabic Parts, etc. It is important to remember that the more factors we add, the more we have to limit the orbs of aspects and look for repeated themes in the charts. The new factors should repeat the message given by the traditional factors, but they should amplify and sharpen the information.
Remember, also, that astronomers discover and name the asteroids, believing that their choice of names is random and meaningless. So when we discover that the asteroids mean what they were named, it implies that consciousness, the ability to receive and process information, is the nature of reality, the creator of our material world. Apparently, astronomers are resonating subconsciously with the asteroids they discover to be able to give them appropriate names.
According to the pundits, the main issues in the November 2002 U.S. election involved the state of the economy, the “war on terrorism,” and a possible war with Iraq. For months, the media have described the U.S. preparations for an invasion of Iraq, and suggested that it would start in November 2002. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and a few other men who never fought in a war can’t wait any longer to get Saddam and his oil. Members of the U.S. military who actually fought in past wars have been less eager, pointing out the likely cost in money and lives and suffering. Some of the politically motivated jingoism has been quite successful. Along with the “war on terrorism” which can last forever, the threat of regimes possessing “weapons of mass destruction” has helped divert attention from our increasing numbers of jobless, homeless, hungry, and ill citizens. Bush has won by promoting fear and patriotism. The basic message is “Wave the flag and support our Commander in Chief by voting Republican.”
The Libra 2002 ingress when the Sun reached 0 degrees of Libra occurred at 4:56 AM UT. Calculating the chart for Baghdad puts the Ascendant in 25 Libra 34, with a close grand trine to Saturn and Uranus in air signs. Air is the element of the conscious side of the mind, learning and communicating with equalitarian relationships. The asteroid United Nations is in 25 Libra 44, closely conjunct the Baghdad Ascendant. These patterns look more like talking than fighting, with the UN in a central role in the action in Iraq. I suggested early in the fall of 2002 that I thought there would be a lot of talk and then UN inspectors might go back into the country, delaying Bush’s war. I started this article in the first week in November when Bush was trying to force the UN Security Council to issue his resolution that threatened Iraq with serious consequences if they did not fully cooperate with the inspectors.
France and Russia, two of the permanent members of the Security Council, have been resisting Bush’s tough resolution. They hope for financial profit from future business with Iraq. China is the other country that is less than eager to support Bush’s war. The Asteroid China is in 1 Gemini, opposite the Baghdad Part of Death, Pax, Latin for peace, and Attila, a famous aggressive leader of the Huns. The asteroid Gallia, named for France, is in 10 Libra, trioctile Uranus. The asteroid America is in a cluster with Russia in 1 Capricorn, Reuters (news) in 2 Capricorn, Chiron in 3 Capricorn, with Icarus, symbolizing overreach and a crash, and America in 4 Capricorn. Brita, named for Great Britain, opposes them from 3 Cancer. Oppositions can be manifested as partners or competitors. Antonio, for Tony Blair, is conjunct Hephaistos, maker of weapons for the Greek gods. The Europeans want to focus on removing Saddam’s weapons while Bush mainly wants to remove Saddam. At this point, Tony Blair in Britain is the only real supporter of Bush, though the US will probably be allowed to use military bases in Turkey, Kuwait, and Qatar.
Though a U.S. ground invasion may be delayed, continued violence in the region is certainly likely. The asteroid Tunguska is also closely conjunct the Baghdad Ascendant. It was named for a devastating explosion in the sky over Siberia that flattened and burned miles of forest. The cause is thought to have been a small asteroid or comet, but it carries the potential meaning of explosive death coming from the sky, so is appropriate for the continued bombing being done in Iraq by the U.S. and Britain.
The asteroid Vladimir, Putin’s first name, is on the Baghdad MC, fitting the prominent role being played by Russia in trying to delay Bush’s war. The asteroid George, for Bush, is just over one degree from the IC but in a one-degree opposition to Vladimir as the two men jockey between being allies and competitors. The conjunction of Chiron and America connects us to the ethical and legal issues symbolized by Chiron which carries the meaning of Jupiter.
Parenthetically, when the same date and time are calculated for Seoul, South Korea, the trio of Chiron, America, and Icarus are on the Ascendant. One of the events during this ingress period was the announcement by North Korea that they were still working on developing a nuclear bomb. The asteroid Hiroshima is in 0 Pisces, quincunx the Sun. Nagasaki, named for the second city hit by an atomic bomb in World War II, is in 12 Cancer octile Vesta, a Virgo asteroid that can be a key to health, and square Leeuwenhoek, the asteroid named for the man who developed a microscope to see microbes. The primary threat from North Korea is theoretically its program to develop nuclear bombs and missiles that that can reach its neighbors. The potential challenge in Iraq includes nukes that are theoretically being developed, and the previously developed capacity to produce biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction.
Other asteroid aspects to the Baghdad angles in this Libra 2002 ingress include Martir (martyr) opposing the Ascendant and Rubicon (point of no return) in 11 Virgo, octile the Ascendant as well as square the true lunar nodes. Columbia (for the District of Columbia) in 9 Virgo squares the mean lunar nodes and Hel, a death goddess. Several other death asteroids are featured, but I am noting especially the aspects to the angles of the charts which make them unique, since the angles vary when the charts are calculated for different regions.
Turning to the same Libra 2002 ingress, but set up in Washington D.C., the Ascendant in our capital is in 16 Cancer 50, conjunct Mithra, the god mostly worshiped by Roman soldiers and pirates, and the name of our capital, Washingtonia. The latter name was feminized by adding “ia,” the former policy when asteroids with “ordinary” orbits were named for men. In addition to our ongoing “war on terror,” this Libra ingress interval was made dramatic by two snipers who killed about 10 individuals in the area around Washington during October 2002. The asteroid Winchester is consistently prominent in horoscopes featuring guns. In this Washington D.C. chart, the Part of Death is in 6 Taurus 4, opposing Winchester in 6 Scorpio 3. One of the reasons I continue to use Placidus houses is that the Placidus 8th cusp works so well in this Arabic Part. The formula is Ascendant plus 8th house cusp minus the Moon. The 2nd and 8th cusps in 6 Leo and 6 Aquarius form a fixed sign grand cross with Winchester and the Part of Death. The asteroid Potomac, named for a river in Washington DC, joins the configuration in 6 Leo. The aspect network clearly associates our capital with death, guns, and potentially soldiers and pirates (outlaws).
Of course, there are also traditional factors featured. The East Point in Washington, an auxiliary Ascendant, is closely conjunct Saturn with both square the MC. Europa, the myth that provided the name for Europe, is in Aquarius square to Israel in 13 Scorpio and opposite Bellerophon, another overreach and crash asteroid. Osiris completes a fixed grand cross whose four corners are octile or trioctile the MC, the East Point, and Saturn. The Washington Ascendant, Washingtonia, and Mithra square the Moon which is within one minute of longitude of Libitina, a death goddess. Sumeria, named for an ancient kingdom in the region of modern Iraq, is in 21 Aquarius, squaring Arabia in Scorpio, and trioctile Juno (with the meaning of Pluto). Chaldaea, another ancient name for the area of Iraq is in 8 Leo, opposing Neptune and octile Busch in 24 Gemini 5.
Many more asteroids could be listed. It is always hard to know when to stop, but we need to look at some additional charts for the coming year. The Capricorn 2002 ingress and the four cardinal ingresses in 2003 continue the themes of potential conflict and death. Calculated for Washington DC, the Capricorn 2002 ingress has Atlantis on the MC, named for the mythical continent that was said to have been destroyed by the abuse of power. The Washington MC is a key to the executive power of the US federal government. Theoretically, Congress creates the laws of the society and the executive branch of the government enforces them, but the latter can often issue regulations that bypass Congress. The asteroid Russia squares the chart MC and Mars squares the Ascendant. The Antivertex, an auxiliary Ascendant, is quincunx Icarus and Fanatica in 28 to 29 Capricorn. The rising Jupiter in Leo trine Pluto and sextile Busch suggests the president’s success in getting what he wants, but it also squares Hela, a death goddess, which points to some of the cost. Jupiter’s quincunx to Anacostia, a river in Washington DC, implies that changes in the situation are likely. A quincunx from the Antivertex to the asteroid UN also implies a need for analysis and adjustment in the US plans, but a trine from the East Point to the UN asteroid supports some success. An interesting cluster of asteroids in 27 to 28 Taurus includes Hel, Scott (a former UN inspector, Scott Ritter), Hephaistos (weapons maker for the gods of Olympus) and Antonio for Tony Blair. There are overlapping orbs, and Tony is within the one-degree orb to trine Icarus and Fanatica and to quincunx Arabia.
Remember that trines signify inner harmony. The desires of the subject of the chart are compatible so they complement and reinforce each other. That does not mean that the consequences are always pleasant. Inner harmony can lead to over-confidence and excesses that result eventually in pain. Conflict aspects, in contrast, signify inner conflict between different desires, but compromises that allow some satisfaction of each of the desires can produce effective and satisfying results in the life. The quincunx aspect of 150 degrees indicates desires that are very different and often hard to reconcile. The aspect calls for careful analysis, and often changes in how we are handling life. The changes may be in small details, or may involve major shifts to let go people, jobs, homes, beliefs, etc. If changes are required and the subject does not or cannot make them, the world may remove what we can no longer handle effectively.
The media have mostly emphasized the need to fight in the winter in Iraq, in the interval from January to mid-March, since the protective clothing needed in case Saddam uses biological and/or chemical weapons would be unbearable in the summer. Defining winter in this way puts it largely within the Capricorn ingress period. The Washington Ascendant in this ingress is less than two degrees from an opposition to America, so before the end of the three-month ingress period, it would progress into a square to Venus which is within a one-degree square to America. So a ground war during the winter remains possible, but alternately, the patterns may simply show lack of cooperation by Iraq, the UN discovery of hidden weapons, and threats by Bush of immediate attack. Europa on Prudentia in 26 Aquarius square Hel suggests a possible call by the European Union for a prudent delay, but their conjunction with Uranus could also fit revolutionary thinking, rejection of admonitions by others which imply limits on personal action, and impulsive action. George in 29 Aquarius trines the Antivertex, as Bush urges full steam ahead, while its squares to UN and Bellona, a war goddess, in Scorpio show his frustration and at least verbal conflict with the international organization.
Astrology shows the psychological principles, but many life details are possible. I enjoy trying to guess the details, testing the asteroids, and then watching what happens. At this point in mid-November 2002, I am going to guess that there will be major verbal conflict over what the inspectors find in Iraq and the lack of cooperation there, but that a real ground war is more likely in the latter part of 2003. Partly, this is based on the solar eclipses in May and November 2003. The latter looks far more deadly. Partly it is also based on Bush’s chart and the other hawks for whom we have full birth data.
Solar and lunar eclipses have been used as keys to the future for thousands of years. Though some students suggest that relevant world events may occur prior to the eclipse, most experts believe that the patterns in an eclipse horoscope describe the following months or years. One tradition says that a lunar eclipse provides information about the following three months, while a solar eclipse may be relevant for the following three years. Another tradition suggests that any eclipse only remains relevant until the next one of the same type, either lunar or solar. The solar eclipse on May 31, 2003 has an emphasis on fixed and mutable signs and houses, with a strong air emphasis, especially when it is calculated for Washington DC. The rising Mars and East Point square the MC axis, all in fixed signs, do fit a power struggle, but the signs are air and water, symbolizing the conscious and subconscious sides of the mind, and the aspects are not exact to the degree. The eclipse is in Gemini in the 4th house, along with Ceres, with wide trines to the 1st house planets and Ascendant in Aquarius. Uranus, an air planet, is also in the 1st house with the Antivertex in Pisces, and they are widely square the nodes, MC axis, and Ceres. The squares show conflict between the actions of the subject signified by the 1st house, in this case the US in Washington, and the homeland and public in the 4th house. We have had peace marches and rallies in several regions of the US, and I expect them to increase. But my guess is that during the winter of 2002-3, the conflict will remain on the mental level, talking and writing: arguments about the situation in Iraq and threats by Bush and his hawks. The inspectors may go on inspecting for many weeks while Saddam cooperates outwardly and tries to keep his weapons hidden.
The Aries 2003 ingress in both Washington and Baghdad seems to me to have a similar air emphasis. Air fits inspecting, analyzing, discussing, debating, etc. Though, of course, the Sun is in 0 Aries, which can take aggressive action, it is tightly conjunct Mercury in 29 Pisces, a mutable planet in a mutable sign (and a mutable house in Washington). The US will undoubtedly continue to bomb Iraq and kill children “inadvertently” through malnutrition, lack of clean water and medical attention, etc. (Of course it is Saddam who used his oil money to build palaces and make weapons rather than spend it on water purification systems and medical care for the public.) Medea, who killed her children, is on the IC in Washington, and Nephthys, a death goddess, squares the Ascendant from 21 Cancer. But Venus and Saturn form a grand air-sign trine to the Washington Ascendant, appropriate for success in the air as we continue to destroy Saddam’s air defenses with our bombs, but also suggesting continuing verbal action. A ground invasion remains possible, but the chart could also be describing a series of steps made by Bush as he works his way into a ground war. There has been a steady stream of US military personnel and armaments moving into the Near East for weeks.
We will reach the “tipping point” when the “die is cast” somewhere along the way, and may well have already passed it. An article on November 21, 2002 in a London Newspaper, The Mirror, quotes Richard Perle, a Bush security advisor and leading “hawk,” as saying that the US would attack Iraq even if the chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, was unable to find any weapons of mass destruction. Perle suggested that a single informant who told the US that Saddam had hidden weapons would be enough to trigger war, implying that Bush was already committed to the invasion. In this Aries 2003 ingress, the asteroid George in 17 Aries opposes Rubicon, point of no return, in 17 Libra and a cardinal-sign grand cross is completed by Chiron and the Sun/Moon midpoint in Capricorn, and Irakli, an asteroid I am testing to see whether it will “work” for Iraq, in 18 Cancer. Aspects that are exact in a chart describe conditions already in effect at the time the chart is erected. Will Bush have already crossed his Rubicon by March 21,2003?
The mean lunar nodes are octile/trioctile the cardinal cross to add to the conflict potential, and in this Aries 2003 ingress in Baghdad, the lunar nodes are just over one degree from the MC-IC axis with Hel on the mean north node in the 4th house for death in the homeland. If we accept the ancient tradition that the Aries ingress can be used for the whole following year, unlike the other three ingresses that each last for just three months, the P MC in Baghdad will reach a one-degree conjunction with the true south node in the summer of 2003. Horoscope angles are primary keys to times of overt action in the world, so the potential for war and death becomes even stronger through the spring and summer of 2003 up to the next Aries ingress in March 2004. Supporting this possibility, Neptune is on the Baghdad Ascendant within less than two degrees, so the P Ascendant will reach it in a few months. For still more emphasis, Poseidon, the Greek name for Neptune, is just 6 minutes of longitude from Neptune. Do two Neptunes double the challenge? One obvious possibility is the discovery of massive deception by Saddam, and/or if the ground war has already begun, the use of biological or chemical weapons by Saddam during this spring. Among the destructive potentials of Neptune are all kinds of drugs, including gas, chemicals, and poisons.
The Baghdad MC in 29 Scorpio 59 opposes Astraea, human justice, on the IC, and squares Bellerophon in 29 Leo, another overreach and crash mythical figure, as well as Dresden and Bruxelles (Brussels, capital of the European Union), in 29 Aquarius, and Uranus and Israel in 0 Pisces. Dresden carries the same meaning as Guernica; military attacks on non-military targets. Herba, the god of poverty and misery, joins the network in 0 Virgo within one degree of Bellerophon. The chart is a graphic picture of a miserable time in a miserable country. Also, as many have pointed out, if Bush invades Iraq, Saddam is likely to unleash any weapons he has against his neighbors, especially Israel. I think there is no doubt that Saddam will have overreached in producing and hiding his weapons. A member of the British parliament who was permitted to interview him described being taken in an elevator so far underground that his ears popped. Saddam’s weapons are on mobile vehicles that can be moved, hidden in residential areas, and deep underground. However, with the help of both informers and modern technology, the UN inspectors will find at least some of them.
In addition to the asteroids named for the cities hit by two atomic bombs and Leeuwenhoek mentioned above, other asteroids that might be useful in looking for information on biological and chemical weapons include Pasteur, which was named for the researcher noted for his work with germs, Duponta which was named for the famous chemical company, Koch who worked extensively with Anthrax, and Jenner, who studied smallpox. In this Aries 2003 ingress, Pasteur is in 9 Scorpio on both Phaethon (an overreach and crash asteroid like Icarus), and Guernica that, like Dresden, is associated with military attacks on civilian targets. Pasteur squares both Jupiter and Potomac (river in Washington) in Leo and Icarus in Aquarius. Tyr, the Norse name for Mars, is on Icarus within one degree and overlapping orbs connect the Moon in 6 Scorpio and additional asteroids in 6 degrees of Taurus, Leo and Aquarius: Hybris (hubris), Arabia, Sapientia (wisdom) and Dolores (suffering). Siva, Hindu god of destruction, joins the network in 7 Scorpio. Duponta in 8 Gemini 4 is moving into an octile to the MC in Washington and the P Ascendant there will move to be trioctile Duponta, which is already trioctile the chart’s Ascendant calculated for New York. Jenner, in 15 Taurus, squares Damocles, with a sword hanging over his head, and the East Point when the chart is calculated for Jerusalem. There are many more, but before we stop we have to note that Busch opposes Pluto and they are connected by overlapping orbs to square a cluster of asteroids in Virgo that includes Sharon, current Prime Minister in Israel, Chaldaea (Iraq), Atropos, death goddess, Tezcatlipoca, Aztec war god, and Swissair, for the involvement of aircraft.
Will humans ever develop the wisdom to replace war and suffering with cooperation? Not in the near future. In the first few months described by this Aries ingress, P Moon will activate the fixed grand cross and continue on to square Tyr, Icarus, Siva, Jupiter, Potomac, Neptune, Poseidon, and the Ascendant axis. To repeat the theme of power issues, P Sun will reach Karma in late June and Sumeria in mid-July. We could be fighting on the ground in Iraq, or uncovering Saddam’s hidden weapons and getting ready to invade, and/or the patterns could signify terrorist attacks inside the US! The conflict aspects are so intense, it is only the insistence of the experts that we need to conduct the ground war during the winter that inclines me to think that it might be delayed until later in 2003. Obviously, a variety of events are always possible. Another that I consider less likely is that the US will have already overrun Iraq during the winter and early spring and be struggling to establish a functioning political system. At this point writing in mid-November 2002, the effort to pacify Iraq looks similar to the turmoil in Afghanistan. The official end of a war is not a guarantee of peace. I think we will still be heavily involved in Iraq in the fall of 2006 to 2008. But the rationale for that timing will have to wait for a later article.
With our information overload including both many mundane horoscopes and many asteroids, I will skip the Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn ingresses for the moment to look at the November 2003 solar eclipse, which is pretty scary. Calculated for Washington DC, Pluto is exactly on the Descendant and Uranus is just inside the 10th house, exactly square the East Point. I limit orbs for the new asteroids to one degree and allow a slightly wider orb for the traditional factors, but the mutable-sign grand cross in this eclipse chart has orbs that are not much wider. The Ascendant squares the 10th house Mars and the 4th house Jupiter and opposes Vesta and Mercury in addition to Pluto. To hammer in the message, among the most significant midpoints, I have found the Saturn/lunar node midpoints pointing to major lessons for the subject of the horoscope. In this chart, Jupiter is conjunct the Saturn/south node midpoint and it squares the Saturn/north node midpoint. Jupiter symbolizes our beliefs and values, and our judgments and goals which are based on our beliefs about the nature of reality; what is true, possible, desirable, and morally right. The conflict with Jupiter in this chart could indicate monumentally bad judgment. Though the chart may describe ongoing trouble in Iraq, it may be even more an indication of terrorist attacks against the US along with increasing threats by our own government to our civil liberties and personal freedoms. Adding still more to the potential for violence in this chart, Tyr, the Norse Mars, squares the Ascendant and Pluto! We will note another approaching double Mars when we look at the chart for our current president. In this eclipse chart, P Mars will catch up to P Tyr in early 2004.
Most readers will already have Bush’s chart, and will be aware that in April-May of 2003 to 2005 his P Sun will conjunct his N Mars and trioctile his N MC in Aries. Those two years are a prime time for him to be at war, though he has continuing aspects for aggression and violence for several additional years. Obviously, many different events are possible, in addition to attacking Iraq. Periodic terrorism in the US is possible for years to come. Personal attacks on Bush are also possible. There is likely to be increasing internal unrest in the US over the policies and power of our government. As ancient astrologers noted, Libra can be manifested in partnerships and cooperation, or in competition and warfare. Juno carries the meaning of Pluto/Scorpio that, like Libra and Venus, describes the challenge of learning to share the world with lasting, equalitarian relationships. So Juno also can cooperate and share resources and power for mutual pleasure, or it can signify personal gratification at the expanse of others: theft, rape, and death. Bush’s P Mars spends the next few years progressing over his Chiron (ethical and legal issues), his Moon (our homeland and people), Juno, and a bit later, Jupiter (beliefs, values, and ethics) and his IC in Washington DC.
To add to the drama, P Tyr, the Norse Mars, was on Chiron when Bush was selected by the Supreme Court, and it has continued over his Libra planets, moving a little slower than P Mars. P Mars will catch up to it in the late summer of 2006 and they will stay together for several years a double Mars. I have seen this conjunction in a number of horoscopes of violent events. To add to the emphasis, when Bush’s chart is calculated for Baghdad, his P Pluto has a lifetime square to his Baghdad Ascendant, and his P MC in Baghdad will catch up to his P Mars and P Tyr, though not until he has finished his second term as US president. He may really believe that he will defeat Iraq and walk away within a few weeks, as Rumsfeld suggests, but his chart points to continuing problems for years.
It seems inevitable that Bush will be reelected in November 2004, playing his cards of fear and patriotism. His P Moon in 0 Sagittarius will trine both of his personal name asteroids, George and Georgia, in 0 Leo, and at the inauguration in January 2005, P Moon will hold a grand fire sign trine to Vesta, the Virgo asteroid for the details of one’s job, and to his Washington Ascendant, Karma, and P Saturn in Leo. Saturn, like the MC, signifies one’s career in the larger sense of one’s status and power in the world, and the consequences of how we have handled the laws of nature and of the society. In Washington DC at noon on January 20, 2005, T George will be on the MC and T Georgia will trine T Vesta, Atropos (death goddess) and Starr, and conjunct Bush’s P Saturn and N Ascendant in Washington and N Karma. However, I think it will be a different story in November 2008 when Bush’s P Moon will be in Capricorn squaring his cluster in 18 Libra that will include N Jupiter, P Mars, P Tyr, and P Swindle. P Moon will also be quincunx N Uranus and his P Washington MC. By the 2009 inauguration, his P Moon will be quincunx P Uranus. There is much, much more, but I want to at least look briefly at a possible chart for the country of Iraq.
One of the series of charts in Campion’s Book of World Horoscopes that mark stages in the development of Iraq is for the announcement of the formation of the Republic on July 14, 1958. The time described as “approaching 7 AM” in Baghdad has impressive asteroids. Calculating the chart for just a half minute before 7 AM produces exact aspects from relevant asteroids to the major angles, including Sumeria on the Ascendant, Israel on the East Point, Chaldaea on the Antivertex, and America square the Ascendant. I have not found the charts of organizations and institutions to be as reliable as the horoscopes of individuals, perhaps because there are always multiple charts for institutions with each giving part of the picture, but we can at least see whether this chart for Iraq supports the themes seen in the other mundane horoscopes.
Several long-lasting progressed aspects do fit the picture of a country engulfed in power struggles. Saturn was conjunct Icarus at the country’s birth, pointing to a chronic tendency by the executive to overreach and crash. P Saturn also opposed Venus for years and is still opposite the Moon for tensions involving finances and the public, with the houses signifying the polarity of the ruler versus democracy. The P south lunar node, which I read as a lesson, remains in a very long conjunction with Mars, key to personal power with the potential of using power to attack neighbors in other countries, in the 9th house. The P south lunar node moved into a very long conjunction to Georgia (George for both of the Bushes), and it is also on Osamu in 23 Aries, an asteroid I am testing to see whether it will “work” for Osama bin Laden. For many years, P south node was also conjunct N Arabia in 25 Aries 59. The country was involved in death from its beginning with the N south lunar node on Nephthys, one of the death goddesses, and the Sun on another one, Hela.
Taking a brief look at some of the current progressions, we can see that before September 11, 2001, P Uranus had reached Sumeria and in the coming years it will reach Mercury, and Juno. IF this time just before 7 AM is valid, P Uranus reached the Ascendant in October 2002, but with the slow motion of Uranus, a change of even a fraction of a minute would change the timing of the aspect. Among the many possible events associated with Uranus are civil war, attacks by other countries, the overthrow of Saddam and his clan, and emphasis on new technology, including a continued focus on weapons of mass destruction. The positive potentials of Uranus include democracy, equality, personal freedom and education for all, etc., but in light of Iraq’s history, the odds for a happy ending are not good. US officials claim that these are their goals for Iraq. We will see whether our government facilitates these nice goals in our own country or whether we keep losing civil rights and freedom in a slide toward Orwell’s dystopia.
Additional long-term progressed aspects that accurately describe the current situation in Iraq are P Saturn holding an opposition to N Hephaistos (weapons maker) in 18 Gemini, and N Busch in 19 Gemini for the power confrontation with George W. P Chiron in 19 Aquarius holds a very long conjunction to Erynia, the bringer of plagues, and the P Moon will cross them in the spring of 2003 at the same time that it opposes P Israel in 19 Leo. Also, the P Part of Death will be retrograding from 22 Scorpio back to 18 degrees, opposing N Winchester (guns) and P Mars, squaring the Leo-Aquarius factors, and conjunct P America. This coming spring and into the summer really does look nasty, but I have seen many other times when the astrological principles looked terrifying but they remained on the mental level rather than manifesting in physical events. As previously mentioned, the Saturn/south lunar node midpoint is often a key to major lessons. Its progressed position in this chart holds a long-term conjunction with N Chiron, highlighting the areas of beliefs, ethics, and the laws of society and nature.
During the winter of ’03–’04, P Moon will continue to aspect factors in the later degrees of Taurus, Leo and Aquarius, including Ceres, P Pallas, P Mercury, Tyr, P Columbia, and Guernica. At the end of Aquarius, P Moon opposes P Brucia (Cheney’s middle name), P Washingtonia, and N Pluto as it moves into Pisces. For some years, P Sun has been crossing N and P Pluto while P Juno stayed conjunct P Sumeria and octile N Hel and then octile N Sun. These, and many other asteroids, describe a country in a state of chronic war. Participating in the situation, P Powell, for our Secretary of State, has been on Hel and the Sun and quincunx Chiron as he wrestled with the intractable challenges in the Near East. Much more could be said, but time and space run out.
IF terrorism is coming again to the US, can astrology pick out the regions most in danger? Or will the patterns picturing aggression simply show regions that fear attacks that fail to materialize? Are there techniques that discriminate between mental states, which are clearly seen in astrology, and physical events? So far, the predictions that I have seen from both astrologers and psychics have had more misses than hits.
