Ireland, Enda Kelly and his new government and challenges ahead.

The sun rising over the River Liffey in Dublin represents the new dawn Ireland wakes to tomorrow. The phoenix will start to rise from the ashes of virtual financial ruin, however for Enda Kenny and his new coalition government, it’s going to be a long hard tough slog.

Ok, here we go. The official time of Mr Kenny taking up the role of Taoiseach was according to the Irish press at 14.43 hrs. This gives a Sun Mars conjunction in the 8th house of financial relations with other countries, so plenty of forcefulness and action towards the EU. There will be plenty of arguments with them. However, there is a Jupiter Saturn opposition so it will be difficult for Mr Kenny to find a balance between cutting back and keeping growth going. Saturn is in the 3rd house of communication so there will be a  forceful radical message rammed home but  Uranus and Mercury is quindecile Saturn, so this message and approach will get severe criticism and opposition, especially in the press. Pluto is trine the Moon, square Jupiter, Uranus/Mercury and sextile Mars so the people will feel under the thumb with long distance travel, education and export trade as well as the debt restructuring on the ledger for reform or subject to increased taxes. Watch the unemployment rate to suffer too. Mr Kenny may well have to deal with serious religious issues with such an emphasis on the 9th house. As Venus is in the sixth house, I expect a more measured and gentle response from Mr Kenny’s government to health reform. On this particular chart, Neptune is peregrine, unconnected to any planet, so an air of confusion and/or deception of the pure motives will hang over the government, especially in regard to foreign affairs.

Looking to Ireland’s natal chart and it’s Solar Arcs right now, SA Saturn has just gone though it’s opposition with firstly the Sun then Venus highlighting the administrative & financial restrictions put upon the nation. Right now, SA is sextile Ireland’s Sun so public optimism is in the air, SA Sun is conjunct Uranus, a revolution of sorts has taken place and SA Venus is conjunct Uranus, this has been the public sending out a radical message; this is the first time in 14 years that Fine Gael has been in government. Looking ahead a bit, Ireland may be back in the news for the wrong reasons in a year and a half’s time (SA Mercury square Midheaven) and SA Saturn square Jupiter (Saturn is passing through the 4th house of the official opposition and Jupiter is in the 6th of the nation’s wealth), possibly the government’s finances will be on shaky ground at that point. On the transits, both transiting Uranus does not have far to go to square the Irish Midheaven at 5 degrees Gemini which represents a rebellion of some type, timed for April next year, maybe the coalition will start to fragment. There will be a few bumps along the way before Ireland gets back firmly on it’s feet.

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Saudi Arabia – Protests and the threat to the world’s oil supply.

It was announced in the news today that authorities in Saudi Arabia have cracked down on potential unrest by banning all protests and marches in the country. The security forces have been ordered to use all measures to prevent  public disorder. Hmmm, I wonder how long this will actually last? The beauty about astrology is that you can have a glimpse ahead and see trouble on the horizon. Looking at Saudi Arabia and the general synopsis in the heavens just around the corner, the world needs to be concerned.

Lets have a quick look at the Saudi Natal Chart. By it’s appearance, it is remarkably similar to the Libya chart I looked at a few days ago. There is a Cancerian ascendant, security and the defence of the kingdom will be of utmost importance. We have a nervous Virgo Sun trine a very powerful Saturn in Capricorn the 7th. The ruler, King Abdullah has an iron grip on everything that goes on.  You can see the aspects radiating out from this Saturn touching all planets by aspect except the Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in the 3rd house. That Jupiter Neptune conjunction represents a large expanse (Jupiter) of oil (Neptune) in the local environment (3rd house) which is exploited by international (Jupiter) oil companies . We can see a brutal cruel attitude to justice (Pluto conjunct Mars opposite Saturn), a very restrictive attitude to women’s affairs (Venus quindecile Saturn), a very hard line taken over dissent (Saturn square Uranus) and control over communication, the press & travel (Saturn trine Mercury). The Moon representing the people is in the hidden 12th house inconjunct the all powerful Saturn. I suspect there will be a lot of chatter behind the scenes against the absolute monarchy, but the ruling family and it’s security forces keeps a lid on the population.

Now however, problems are in the pipeline. The Saudi Sun sits at 29 degrees Virgo and the Saudi Midheaven sits at 1 degree Aries. The Sun represents the absolute ruler, the King and the Midheaven represents the ruling government, those at the top. Right now as I write, transiting Uranus (which represents rebel opposing forces to the ruling monarchy) is 2 minutes from opposing the natal Sun. At the same time Uranus will conjunct the Saudi Midheaven on 30th March. Uranus is also making a square aspect to the natal Moon, the people, no doubt seeing what is happening in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia will be in a mood for revolt. Uranus when it connects to the major angles (Ascendant & Midheaven) or the personal planets (the Moon and the Sun) on a national chart always heralds change. Remember this too. Uranus is just about to change signs from confused dreamy Pisces into action dominated, war like Aries; the people will finally be able to get mobilised. You just watch the sparks fly around the world!! Just as worrying, transiting Pluto is trine the Jupiter/Neptune conjunction. Pluto is transformational, or can denote a blockage of some kind. Is the oil supply from Saudi Arabia going to be affected in some way? On the Solar Arc charts, there are two aspects virtually exact now. SA Pluto is square the Saudi Ascendant and SA Uranus will shortly conjunct it which means a transformation in the face of the country more than likely by revolution of some type, or by a dramatic change. SA Moon representing the people is conjunct the South Node. To me, this almost suggests a turning in on the country itself. Putting this all together, I can see the possibility of major popular unrest or even civil war. Two years down the line in approximately 2013, SA Mars will square Uranus! Ouch, disruption with violence, maybe military based. It doesn’t sound very hopeful, does it? Factor this in as well. King Abdullah is himself 87 and I understand his health is not too good. Should something happen to him, then the crown is up for grabs.

As you will be aware, Saudi Arabia controls the largest reserves of oil in the world. As I mentioned before, oil is ruled by Neptune and Neptune is just about to change signs too like Uranus. Neptune will move from Aquarius to Pisces in April. So what will this mean for the world oil supply? Neptune hasn’t been in this spot just about to move into Pisces since 1848, the first oil well was drilled in 1853. Will it mean that the main oil supplies of the world (Saudi Arabia, Libya) will be managed by countries in flux or disorganisation? Pisces is a nebulous sign, where control dissolves completely, and if that happens, what will happen to the price of petroleum world wide? Serious questions indeed for a world dependent still on oil supplies. If the Astrology holds out and I have read it correctly, the world will and needs to be worried.

** UPDATE 12th March 2011 **

After seeing how the last Solar Eclipse has affected the world in many ways, Japan Tsunami, New Zealand Earthquake and all the disruption across North Africa, I thought I would have a peek into the future and look at the next Solar Eclipse due for 1st July 11. What I saw shocked me. I have written that any planet hitting an angle on an eclipse chart relocated to a point on earth will severely affect that region. Located to Riyadh, the next eclipse itself not hits almost directly onto the Midheaven but the Cardinal cross formed at the time of the eclipse has Saturn on the Ascendant, Pluto on the IC and Uranus on the descendant. Major changes WILL happen in Saudi Arabia starting I would guess late summer this year. Please return back over time as I update this article…

Libya – The astrology of a country in crisis

As the confusion continues and Gaddafi is holed up somewhere in the desert away from the tide of rebel advance, I thought I’d have a more detailed look at the country chart and see what it is saying.

The natal chart has a insular 4th house Sun in controlling Capricorn sextile to the Moon in Libra which suggest the people are quite sociable, if only they were not so constrained by the leaders. There is a very hard-line and religious Saturn, Mars and Neptune at the point of a mini grand trine, extending by two sextiles and held in check by a trine between controlling Pluto and Mercury. Neptune conjunct Mars indicates that the military has been kept deliberately weakened to protect the leader from coups. Communication is restricted and there is a brutal undercurrent to the regime. Uranus in the 10th aptly describes the leader himself, someone who took power through a coup, a loose cannon at the helm, with strong beliefs (square Jupiter) and an iron grip on things (square Saturn, Mars). With most of the planets on the Eastern hemisphere, this is not a very outgoing country, happy to keep most of it’s affairs internal. Interestingly, the only planet in the Western hemisphere is Jupiter which suggests most of Libya’s wealth lies with overseas institutions!!

The current transits show major changes about to finally happen. Transiting Uranus is square the Libyan Sun so the revolution is in full flow, transiting Saturn has hit the Saturn Mars conjunction, there is death, public sorrow and challenge to authoritarian rule. Transiting Neptune is trine the Moon suggesting that the public are confused, there maybe looting, swindling and fraud. Transiting Mercury is square it’s own position, communication and regular transport is difficult, echoing the danger on the roads and also  the no fly zone just being enforced. Pluto is square natal Jupiter which lies in the 7th house, there is a blockage (Pluto) being put on the wealth of the country, the international embargos just announced. Jupiter has just past through a conjunction with itself; an optimism felt by the people for the first time in a long time of foreign influences installing belief (Tunisia, Egypt). On the Solar Arcs which are more long term, SA Mars is on the IC at the bottom of the chart opposite the Midheaven – a change at the top by force. The Moon will conjunct the Sun in around 2 years time thus I believe in approximately 2013 the people will herald a new leader. Until then, the battle for Libya will carry on. How easy it will be, and who will prevail only time will tell.

Earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand – An astrological view of why it happened.

Earthquakes are so frustrating for Astrologers. It is possible to see the after-effects of an earthquake on a set of astrological charts put alongside each other, but almost impossible to predict where one will hit – just simply as you need to see the astrological conditions of the day one a single point on planet earth in relation to the astrological conditions on the day and time that the eclipse happened relocated to that same point on earth. Phew, that’s complicated enough isn’t it? Sometimes you get clues as often the disaster happens under the path of the previous eclipse, but not always, as is the case with the latest quake to hit Christchurch, New Zealand.

As I have mentioned before in previous posts, the last solar eclipse took place on 4th Jan 2011 at 09.02 GMT. Relocated to Christchurch we have a late Cancer ascendant and Venus conjunct the IC at the bottom of the chart. Saturn square Mars conjunct the eclipse degree at 13:38 Capricorn.  The eclipse hit the Mars/Pluto midpoint, indicating great force, power, even violence. The interesting thing for me is that the eclipse was quindecile (165 degrees) from the ascendant (representing the point on earth in Christchurch). Quindeciles produces a force or intensity of energy – like a laser (see below the gold line). If one had seen this on 4th January, you could be sure something would happen when that ascendant at 29 Cancer or the eclipse degree was activated by a transiting planet in the next 5-6 months, releasing that Mars/Pluto energy. See also that Uranus is trine that ascendant sitting at 27 degrees Pisces. Uranus is also part of a Grand water trine made into a kite formation by the midheaven and Venus, a store of energy on this particular chart. All grand trines (or the kite in this case) need an outlet for that energy to be discharged (normally an opposition or square), but in this case the outlet is that quindecile from the ascendant out to the eclipse and the trine from the midheaven through Mars conjunct the eclipse; the energy then travels onwards through the square to Saturn where the chain stops. Uranus always is the bringer of shocks and unpredictable events. It only had to transit on 2 degrees and that trine would be exact and fully activated. Saturn traditionally represents the earth – look at the pattern. All the planets are connected up except Saturn - in this chart it is almost as if she is acting as a lightening conductor.

Ok, lets look at the chart for when the earthquake hit in comparison to the eclipse chart. Transiting Uranus has moved round to almost exactly trine the eclipse ascendant. At the bottom of the chart, transiting Saturn along with transiting Moon are exactly conjunct eclipse Saturn; the top and bottom of the pattern were connected up, with emotional overtones (Moon). The Sun had moved round to quincunx (150 deg) this connection indicating a change, a release, a letting go. Transiting Jupiter is squaring Pluto (destruction on a large scale),the Midheaven at the time of the quake trine the eclipse Pluto suggests a difficult time, with rebuilding needed.

At some point we may find some way of predicting catastrophic events like earthquakes, as it relatively easy for astrologers to see the effects after the event, but it probably needs people to look on a grand scale at the astrological weather and to correlate their efforts to send out accurate warnings in advance. Maybe though the internet in the future…

Egypt and Tunisia revolutions – Seeds sown by an eclipse. Who and where will be next? Bahrain? Iran? Libya? Saudi Arabia?

The world has watched in disbelief in the past weeks as the people, first in Tunisia and then Egypt,  rose up as one against  a leader who had “overstayed their welcome” and forced them out of power. It is a big thing for the people to take on the establishment, filled with risk. Let’s look at the astrology.

In the background of the revolutions across North Africa and the Middle East right now is the Solar Eclipse that occurred at 09.02am GMT on 4th Jan 11. That eclipse according to Bernadette Brady is part of the group 13 North of eclipses. She says that this group of eclipses is associated with large, ambitious group projects which require the breaking of a bond that already exists. A very apt description of the people rising up against a leader who had overstayed his welcome and forcing him unceremoniously out of power. The ripples from this eclipse will be felt for another 4-5 months to come.

The eclipse itself had Uranus conjunct Jupiter (revolution given belief) trine Venus conjunct the Midheaven. Venus in Mundane astrology on a mass level can mean the afflicted or the suffering, the Midheaven represents an ideal that the society attains to. There was also a rather angry Mars conjunct the Eclipse square to Saturn. Authority being affected by action & force. If you look deeper the eclipse landed on the Mars/Pluto midpoint, a combination of energies that Ebertin describes as the ability to demonstrate extraordinary force, obsession, great ambition, attaining one’s objectives through ruthlessness, brutality or cruelty. This was an unusually powerful solar eclipse.

Putting the eclipse chart against the Tunisia natal chart is very revealing. Transiting Uranus/Jupiter conjunct Natal Sun (the ruling authority in the the 10th house of government). The eclipse hit on Tunisia’s Mars/Moon opposition – Mars (action) by the people (Moon) and was trine natal Venus in the 11th – group action by the afflicted. Sure there may have been civil unrest at this time anyway but I believe the effect of the eclipse was a galvanising factor in the background. Looking at the Solar Arc transits we see a similar picture. Uranus exactly on the IC opposite the Midheaven just about to enter the 4th house – a revolt against those at the top. Solar arc Moon was also square natal Saturn. The people against the ruler – in this case President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Within a couple of weeks he was driven into exile. Under the pressure being exerted on the Natal Tunisia chart, the outcome was almost inevitable.

I move now to Egypt. The natal Egyptian chart is interesting as it has a natal Saturn/Neptune square Uranus/Mercury. It is almost prone to revolution with such a configuration – tension constantly between a potentially evasive conservative ruler and progressive independently minded radicals. The current natal chart was formed off the back of the the 1952 revolution in the country.

Looking at the Solar Arcs first, Solar Arc Sun is conjunct Pluto so those in charge due a drastic change. Pluto reminds me of a wildfire – from the ashes of a destroyed forest rises new growth. The Uranus/Mercury conjunction had moved to conjunct the Egypt’s natal Moon – the people being whipped up into a revolutionary frenzy by news – news of the Tunisian revolt days earlier. Uranus/Mercury perfectly describes the internet and I understand it was in the internet cafes where a lot of the organising took place. Without the internet and news being transferred quickly, this revolution may not have got off the ground. Looking ahead on the solar arcs, there may be more instability and confusion in around 4 years time approximately 2015/16 when SA Pluto hits the natal Saturn Neptune conjunction.

Egypt’s natal chart opposite that same 4th Jan eclipse chart demonstrates the violent and confusing reaction that eventually ousted President Mubarak. The eclipse was located in Egypt’s 4th house opposite the Sun/Mars conjunction in Egypt’s 10th house – a change was heralded in the homeland affecting the government. Also in the 4th transiting Pluto was opposite natal Mars and transiting Mars was opposite Uranus/Mercury square Saturn/Neptune. Add in transiting Uranus/Jupiter square the natal Sun and transiting Saturn square Uranus Mercury. No wonder there was violence and confusion with all this disruptive energy, you can almost visualize the two factions pro and anti government opposing each other from all the 4th/10th house oppositions.  In the background there was an exact to the minute transiting Neptune from the 5th house trine the natal Sun. Mubarak at the start tried to hoodwink the protesters with false promises of early elections. It was a gamble that failed miserably.

Looking at Bahrain, the Solar Eclipse picture is nowhere as severe as in Egypt however the revolutionary Jupiter/Uranus conjunction opposed Bahrain’s natal Pluto so changes are on the agenda too. What type? Well Transiting Mercury was exactly to the minute conjunct Bahrain’s natal Sun, will the secretive insular monarchy (Sun in 4th) headed by Sheikh Al Khalifa be forced to communicate major changes and concessions?

The Eclipse hit directly opposite Libya’s Uranus, so revolution is definitely in the air however as far as I see General Gadaffi will not give up without a fight. Libya’s chart has a brutal Saturn/Mars conjunction (rule by violent suppression) and the eclipse squared this with transiting Saturn right on this conjunction and transiting Mars squaring the natal Mars. If there is to be a revolt, I fear it will be a bloody one – Gadaffi will use all force at his disposal to crush any rebellion.

In Iran, the eclipse was trine Iran’s Sun, the transiting Uranus/Jupiter conjunction that has been fundamental to the shake-up in North Africa & the Middle East square Iran’s midheaven. Transiting Pluto was square Iran’s Moon and transiting Mercury conjunct Neptune, so maybe suppression of the people through blanking out the media and the internet may be the tactic used by Iran’s rulers to hold things in check. I suspect this will only be stoking up the fires as in 2012/13 solar arc Uranus hit’s Iran’s midheaven and enters it’s 10th house and Saturn opposes Iran’s Sun. At that point we may see a overhaul of those in power.

Very worryingly Saudi Arabia looks in a perilous state if the eclipse chart is anything to go by. The eclipse hit very close to Saudi’s descendant – a change in the public face of Saudi is imminent. Transiting Uranus/Jupiter this time is opposite Saudis’ Sun/Mercury and square the natal Moon (sounds like an uprising of some sort) and transiting Mars square natal Uranus and opposite natal Pluto. That is an explosive combination if ever I have seen one. The ascendant of the eclipse chart relocated to Riyadh hit bang on Saudi’s natal Uranus. This is a bomb waiting to explode. By solar arc Pluto is exactly square right now the Saudi natal Ascendant, the end of an era is due very soon. The health of 87 year old ruler King Abdullah has been reported to be in decline. I can see all hell breaking loose if there is forced to be a change in leader, a change that could upset the whole balance of the Middle East.

Revolution is in the air in my view caused in a large part by the Solar Eclipse of 4th January. I haven’t had time to look at Yemen, Jordan Algeria and Morocco although looking initially I think Israel will be unaffected for now. Maybe I will at a later date…

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