Catalonia – The astrology of the call for independence

Yesterday in Barcelona at 15.27 hrs, the speaker of the Catalan parliament declared that in the slight of a “Si” vote, Catalonia's lawmakers had voted for independence from Spain. There was much jubilation and joy within the chamber and outside too in the assembled masses of Catalan citizens waiting to hear the news of a positive outcome.



The timing of the announcement was significant. The Moon had just hit the initial degrees of the sign of independence, Aquarius and it was square to Uranus as well as to the Sun conjunct Jupiter and trine to the planet of action, Mars. Here was a moment to act and take a chance, to branch out and be different. Saturn and Uranus were in a trine indicating the need to update old structures and the forge ahead in a different direction, and interestingly too Saturn was making a close square to Chiron. Here is the planet of childhood hurts Chiron facing off against the the planet of old age and authority; the infant nation taking on the existing power. There is a sense of coming of age in this chart, of breaking away and leaving the family nest.



Taking this moment and pitting it against the Spanish chart (I'm using the one timed for the moment the modern constitution of Spain was enacted), you can see that that Saturn square Chiron square is working on all four angles of the chart. Chiron, representing that child who is demanding the right to go it alone is conjunct with the Descendant, in effect causing a dispute. Whenever a disruptive planet hits this point on any chart, you know that there is going to be an argument or a difference of opinion. Here is historical hurt, that Catalonia, the richest region of the Spanish nation and culturally different has never got a fair deal from the national government in Madrid.

What makes this more divisive is that Saturn has just passed over the IC of the Spanish chart moving the 4th house of the land and territory of the nation, and at the same time opposing the Midheaven and squaring the Ascendant, the leadership and administration. Here is another indication of a challenge and a problem for Spain and it's rulers. What they have done is crack down immediately on the Catalans, in a very Saturnine way, threatening direct rule. By imposing new elections on 21st December, they are calling the bluff of the Catalan politicians. Take part in them and they recognise Madrid's right to assert authority. Decline to take part and they leave themselves open to being shown to undemocratic, and giving the Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy the right to protect what he sees as an integral part of Spain.

This is one dispute that I feel will not have a happy ending. It is almost impossible to put the genie back in the bottle once it has escaped, and the brutal initial response to try and prevent the independence vote by the Spanish police will always leave a nasty taste in the mouth of the Catalan people. What is for sure is that for the next two years Saturn will be moving in that Spanish 4th house, and that in 2020, there will be a Saturn/Pluto conjunction within it too, that will directly connect with the Midheaven at 22 degrees Gemini and the Ascendant at 23 degrees Virgo. This is an internal conflict that will continue to rumble on and I suspect whatever happens now, in a couple of year's time there will be yet another crisis point of huge significance for Spain.