Atlantis Now: Not B.C.
Zip Dobyns
As readers will remember, I suggested in our Gemini 1984 issue of The Mutable Dilemma that I had become convinced that Atlantis as described by psychics never existed on earth. I think that Plato’s story referred to the Precession of the Equinoxes. The equinoxes and solstices were used for thousands of years as humanity’s primary measuring tool, to map the order in the sky as a key to the order on earth. Due to Precession, eventually the equinoctial markers move so that they appear against different constellations in the sky. Periodically, over the centuries, the constellation which had been visible behind zero Aries would disappear into the ocean and a new constellation would rise to take its place. Our astrological Ages are based on this astronomical fact; that zero Aries (and all the cardinal points) move against the backdrop of the groups of stars we call constellations, making a complete circle in around 26,000 years.
In Hamlet’s Mill, Santillano and Von Dorchend suggested that Plato knew of this astrological principle, and that his myth of Atlantis was just one of many that are found all over the earth, describing “drowned” civilizations. I suggested that psychics over the centuries since Plato had created an “Astral” Atlantis, so that any psychic might “tune in,” visit it on the psychic level, add his or her quota to the thought form, and never know that it never existed in physical form on earth.
At that point in my thinking last June, I was too busy to go farther. But a nagging question hung on. Besides the incurable romanticism of humanity, why did this particular myth continue to grow as it has? I do not believe in accidents. There should be a psychological reason for the persistence of belief in Atlantis. The central theme of the myth is an abuse of power which eventually destroyed the civilization. As modern humans have continued to stockpile nuclear weapons, many people have pointed out the potential for our culture repeating the theoretical errors of Atlantis. But I needed more evidence to accept the idea that the primary role of the myth involves its message for us now, in the closing days of the 20th century. I now have that evidence, from the asteroid, “Atlantis”!
Since this issue of The Mutable Dilemma is already running out of space, I will have to save much of my material for later articles, but I can hit some of the highlights here. My first inkling of the current importance of the asteroid “Atlantis” came when our Saturday morning mundane astrology discussion group spent a session on some of the charts related to the development of nuclear power. I found the asteroid Atlantis in high focus in virtually every chart I examined. After spotting the trend, I started looking for it; checking relevant dates for which I had only the date without a time so I had never calculated a chart. Even without angles or asteroids, looking only at the traditional planets, the trend has continued to appear for the important events.
The first controlled atomic chain reaction occurred in Chicago, IL on December 2, 1942 at 3:25 P.M. CWT. At first glance, Atlantis just shows the personal triumph which was felt by the successful scientists. It is conjunct Chiron and the mean north node of the Moon in double Leo (sign and house). It also is trioctile the Antivertex (like another Ascendant) in Aries in the twelfth house and for most of the years since, there have been conjunctions between Chiron (knowledge and ethical principles), node, and/or Atlantis, with one or more of them quincunx the chart’s locality MC calculated for Washington, DC, source of the money and orders that continued the quest.
More impressive aspects appeared when I looked at the progressed angles for that first chain reaction chart, including local angles for events which happened in other areas. For starters, the chart’s progressed MC in Hiroshima was conjunct natal and progressed Atlantis, which were less than a degree apart. The Hiroshima progressed Ascendant was conjunct Mars. The chart calculated for Hiroshima also had its natal East Point opposite Uranus and natal Antivertex opposite the chart’s original Part of Death. The progressed Moon was opposite the Chicago progressed Ascendant, both square natal Pluto which was on the Hiroshima Part of Death. The Washington, DC progressed Ascendant was opposite Mars and octile the Hiroshima progressed Part of Death.
Setting the chart up for Moscow, its local progressed East Point was conjunct Atlantis when Russia exploded their first atom bomb on August 29, 1949. In Arco, Idaho, the local progressed East Point was trioctile Atlantis when a small nuclear reactor exploded and killed three workmen on January 3, 1961. In the Decatur, Alabama cable fire that burned for seven and a half hours and narrowly missed a melt-down on March 22, 1975, the local progressed East Point was just two minutes short of the one degree orb square to the progressed mean nodes of the Moon. Atlantis remained conjunct Chiron and the north node, maintaining a contact. Both the natal and local progressed MCs were square Mars, highly appropriate for a fire. There were no deaths, but a near miss on catastrophe.
Progressing the chart to Three Mile Island, another incident without deaths but one that received widespread publicity unlike the others, the Washington, DC progressed Ascendant was sextile Atlantis and quincunx both the Harrisburg, Pa. and the Washington natal MC; a yod pattern. Our enthusiasm for nuclear power started on a new path at that time. It is interesting that two of our “near” misses repeated an MC with the natal chart; Decatur is just south of Chicago, scene of the first chain reaction, while Harrisburg is almost north of Washington, DC, source of the orders and the funding. In one more recent accident in which there was a death, a workman was killed in a nuclear power plant just outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina, on September 23, 1983. The local progressed MC was quincunx progressed Atlantis, local progressed East Point conjunct local natal Antivertex and sextile Atlantis, and local progressed Antivertex semisextile Atlantis. Do we need more evidence that this first chain reaction chart is a working chart and that Atlantis is worth watching?
But this is truly only a beginning. I have enough material already to fill a book, and more appearing every time I do another relevant chart. The chart for the first use of the atom bomb in war, in Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945, has a tenth house Atlantis at 26 Gemini 55 square a first house Jupiter in Virgo. Pandora is in Pisces opposite Jupiter. Aspects are one degree orb. Exceptions are noted. Uranus was within one minute of the MC in the chart, a minute of longitude, not time. The progressed Sun in the chart was square Uranus-MC and then conjunct the Ascendant (16 Gemini and 17 Virgo respectively) during Reagan’s first term of office, as we started our military expansion. The progressed Sun will square Atlantis beginning in late 1989. That, along with many other aspects, suggests that the first two years of the decade of the ‘90s is a time for care. During that period, progressed Atlantis will reach the natal Moon-Saturn-America conjunction, all in Cancer in the tenth house of the Hiroshima chart. Progressed Icarus will be retrograding over natal “Russia” in the chart at the same time, while progressed Mars will oppose progressed Russia. Maybe we should think about emigrating to New Zealand. Or, maybe we should vote the Pentagon out of power.
Seriously, I do not really anticipate a full atomic war. I do think that a terrorist act is possible, and that Atlantis may offer a clue to dangerous places and times. Of course, some things will never be predictable, but some of the charts, looked at hindsight, are fascinating. Remember, this article is just a taste. There are many more aspects and many more asteroids in all cases, but I am focusing on Atlantis.
March 24, 1985, just a few days before this is being written, an explosion blew up a clothing store in Los Angeles, and fires starting erupting in several places in the store and in their parking lot. The area buildings have been built over abandoned oil wells and the geologists and engineers hastily drilled a well to release the imprisoned methane gas which had built up to the point of the explosion and which was feeding the fires. Everyone is back to work today, four days later, except for the one wrecked store and a few people who are still hospitalized. There were no deaths, but many minor injuries and two people seriously burned.
The explosion occurred at 4:47 P.M. PST. The MC of the chart is 17 Gemini; the Ascendant 18 Virgo. All four angles are about a half degree from the angles of the Hiroshima bomb chart! Atlantis is in the fourth house quincunx the MC, the same aspect it held to the Washington MC in the original chain reaction chart. Uranus was four minutes of arc from the IC and ten minutes from the square to the Ascendant. The aspects are actually closer, since the area of the explosion is a little west of downtown Los Angeles, and I just calculated the chart for L.A. I included this event even though it has nothing to do with nuclear power since it hints that modern technology in general might be part of the message of the Atlantis myth.
[Note: the chart here was run to match the original chart, not the time below.]
Another interesting chart involves the dropping of one of the Pershing nuclear missiles at a base in Germany, on January 11, 1985, at 3 P.M. UT; 49 N 8, 9 E 14. The missile was dropped by a crane. The solid fuel caught on fire, killing three American soldiers and injuring seven others. The Ascendant of this chart is 15 Gemini, with Uranus opposite it within 40 minutes of longitude (less than a degree) and Mars square both more widely. At first glance, Atlantis looks too wide to count, at 10 Sagittarius 23. But Mars squares the midpoint of Uranus and Atlantis within one minute of longitude! To add to the importance of those middle mutable degrees, the south node of Uranus was 15 Sagittarius 38; south Mars was 12 Sagittarius 43; north Uranus was 12 Gemini 3. The Moon was 19 Virgo 11 opposite the asteroid “America” at 18 Pisces 19.
After the incident, the anti- nuclear forces of Europe redoubled their protests over the nuclear missiles. We can note that the Washington, DC MC for the chart of the missile fire was 21 Scorpio 45, conjunct Margaret Thatcher’s progressed Saturn and square her progressed Atlantis. I’m sure our readers know that she is Prime Minister of England, one of the beneficiaries of our missiles. Her natal Atlantis is just over one degree from a square to natal Saturn. Her progressed Saturn will reach the one degree orb to progressed Atlantis in the fall of 1986, and hold the aspect for some years. Her progressed Mars is also moving up to conjunct progressed Saturn and square progressed Atlantis.
Kohl, Prime Minister of Germany, is discussed in another article in this issue of The Mutable Dilemma. Here, I just want to add that his progressed Atlantis is 17 Virgo, conjunct the Hiroshima bomb Ascendant; his natal Atlantis is 21 Virgo, so the Moon at the time of the missile fire was at the midpoint of the two positions of Atlantis in his chart.
The chart for West Germany, founded on May 23, 1949 in Bonn at 3 P.M. UT, looks “on the money” in light of current patterns. Progressed Sun reached natal Atlantis about September 1984, and will hold the position two years while the missiles are being installed and the protests are continuing. At the same time, progressed Atlantis is moving over the natal MC of the chart, also conjunct natal Apollo (like the Sun, the eyes of the world are upon them), conjunct natal California (which produces much of the U.S. defense weaponry) and opposite natal Karl Marx (need I explain that?). We live in a very spooky world.
Other progressed aspects this spring include Winchester over natal Saturn; MC on progressed Siva and quincunx Karl Marx; Russia conjunct Vesta and Hestia (two names for the same mythical lady. Did you wonder how the German workaholic potential showed? These two supreme Virgos are conjunct to the minute in the natal chart). Progressed Russia is also opposite Gaea (the earth); Germania is on progressed Mercury with Mars just coming up to it; Medusa is conjunct the progressed north node of the Moon and square the natal MC; Washingtonia is trine natal Atlantis; and much, much more. I mentioned in the article on Kohl that he has Progressed America, Russia, and Mars on his natal Ascendant. I will conclude the partial look at West Germany by mentioning that progressed America and Moscow are conjunct progressed Venus, ruler of the Ascendant of the chart.
By now, even the readers interested in asteroids may be bored, but I want to mention the chart for France, set for the founding of the Fifth Republic on October 5, 1958 at Paris at 17:21 UT. At the moment, it has progressed Atlantis conjunct progressed Russia square progressed America; at 17 to 18 degrees of Pisces and Sagittarius respectively. Remember those angles on the Hiroshima chart? NATO was founded with Atlantis at 15 Gemini and America at 16 Gemini.
Reagan has his natal Atlantis at the midpoint of Mercury-Uranus about 23 Capricorn, depending on the birth time we use. His progressed Atlantis is at 17 Pisces, again hitting those Hiroshima angles. The Hiroshima Washington Ascendant is 25 Capricorn. Reagan’s Oath of Office for the 1985 inauguration has the MC, Moon, and Jupiter conjunct at 25 Capricorn. His natal Uranus is 26 Capricorn. Atlantis in the inauguration chart is at 14 Sagittarius, conjunct the East Point in Reagan’s natal chart if my time for his birth is accurate.
The first U.S. atom bomb test in New Mexico occurred with Atlantis within 22 minutes of arc of Uranus at 15 Gemini. A British nuclear test at Montebello Island near Australia which is now getting publicity as having dumped harmful radiation on Australia, also had Uranus conjunct Atlantis. The conjunction at zero Leo was octile the U.S. bomb test Atlantis-Uranus. Atlantis was square a Jupiter-Uranus conjunction when the workman was killed near Buenos Aires. Jupiter and Uranus were just two degrees past the MC when the accident occurred. Atlantis was two degrees from a square to Jupiter for Three Mile Island, and octile-trioctile the nodes of the Moon. Atlantis was conjunct Pluto for the first Soviet atom bomb, and conjunct Neptune two degrees from a square to Mars for the first Chinese atom bomb. Our nuclear submarine, the Thrasher, sank with all on board on April 10, 1963 with Atlantis octile Pluto. Our U.S. first atomic power plant was dedicated with Atlantis octile Saturn. ’Nuff said. We’ll keep watching.