Astrology by Paul Saunders : Europe
Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Europe. Show all posts

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Greek Debt Crisis – Papandreou throws a spanner in the works in asking for a referendum on aid package.

Greece

Oh dear. All the European ministers worked so hard last week to thrash out a new aid package for Greece, and just one week later, the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has decided to hold a referendum to ask the people of the embattled nation if they should adopt the package. On this news the European Markets have gone into a tailspin, losing 4-5% immediately on the news.

Saturday 22 October 2011

Eclipse Watch – An upcoming look at the next solar eclipse on 25th November 2011

exlipse 2

I have always been fascinated by eclipses, maybe because I am closely associated with the Sun being a Sun sign Leo by birth. The Solaris name I use came to me on the day of a solar eclipse, and the effects of them and the ramifications of the totality point is something I study with great interest. The last eclipse of 1st July caused havoc for many across the world and as I have mentioned on this blog, the effects of that cardinal cross eclipse are still being felt.

Monday 26 September 2011

The Euro – Update on Europe’s financial crisis.

Euro_thumb2
Just a quick update on the fate of the Euro which I first wrote about on 11th July  - (Europe's Debt Crisis). At the time I didn’t pay any attention to the transiting Nodal Axis, however with panic starting to spread, it is time to see how they are having an effect on the European Currency. If you wish to see the Euro’s natal chart click the following link - Euro Currency

Thursday 4 August 2011

Italy – Mamma Mia! Yet another European country is due to default on it’s debt.

Rome

As the European Union lurches from one crisis to the next, the biggest casualty so far looms ever larger on the radar screen. Italy, the third largest economy using the Euro, the 10th largest in the world is seriously in danger of defaulting on it’s debt payments. As it stands Italy’s debt stands at a whopping 130% of GDP. Not much chance of turning that around in the next few weeks, is there? If Italy defaults, this will place huge pressure on France and Germany who will have to carry the majority of the burden, if that is, they decide to do so.

Italy’s chart problems are very obvious if you look at the natal chart. The chart was formed on 2nd July 1871 in Rome at 12.30pm. It features a very strong cardinal t-square with the Sun and Jupiter (the planet of knowledge, wisdom and faith) in close conjunction. Both are in maternal Cancer in the sign of the family. What more appropriate symbol of traditional Italy? That the family is taken so seriously can also be seen with Capricorn on the cusp of the 4th house. That conjunction opposes stern Saturn  in Capricorn alongside the emotional Moon  (representing the people) in the 3rd house of communication and the press. Here in the opposition we see the influence of strong conservative faith Saturn opposite Jupiter (the planet of religion) in the 9th house, and also in Jupiter opposite the Moon we see the extravagant emotions of the Italian people. This opposition squares Mars conjunct the ascendant. All this emotion, faith, and communication is done with flair and panache. This is a feisty country, passionate and often in crisis.

Italy natal

Uranus in the house of government show the Italian tradition for rebelling against an administration as soon as it has taken it place in Rome, Italian politics are always in a state of flux. With a square from Uranus to Neptune, you can see that corruption and dirty dealing is inbuilt into the Italian system. This Neptune also trines to Venus in the 11th house giving the country and the people a sense of style and a love of beauty and fashion. With Aquarius on the cusp of the 5th house, this creativity is cutting edge, fresh and unusual. Venus makes a square to Pluto in the 8th house showing a real passion for sport, culture and entertainment. This also probably accounts for the liberal & rather sexual attitude to the treatment of women; where else in the world would you get an ex porn star being elected to Parliament? Pluto in the 8th house also gives a clue to what is going on right now. Pluto represents change, constraint, death, destruction and regeneration and the 8th house in mundane (national) astrology is associated with other country’s finance. Scorpio ruled by Pluto sits on the 2nd house of the Italian money and finance supply, so safe to assume that any difficult transits from Pluto or to Pluto would hit Italy financially and Pluto sextiles the Midheaven too, the public face and reputation of the country will be severely affected.

Italy transits

Now, the Italian Saturn (part of this hugely stressful t-square sits at 6 Capricorn, the Moon lies at 8 Capricorn, Jupiter at 8 Cancer, Mars at 7 Libra, the Sun at 10 Cancer and a little further on the ascendant at 13 Libra. All these planets lie at early cardinal degrees and all are at the mercy of transiting Pluto which is gearing up to hit this 7-10 cardinal degree zone in late 2011, through 2012 and into 2013. Pluto is ruthless and will completely shake up the whole Italian economy. This is a transformation on a huge level coming up, and the debt crisis is only going to be the start. The beginning will of this will be as Saturn crosses the Italian ascendant in the middle of this month. Italy has come under greater and greater scrutiny in the past couple of weeks as Saturn has been approaching this point, and in the process activating the natal t-square. Watch out for the default notice to be served on Italy then. The process of Italy’s European partners bailing her out will start as Jupiter enters the 8th house (the other people’s finance coming to the rescue). Behind this generosity, the pain that the Italian economy will have to go through to reform and to repay back the money owed is going to be huge. In simple terms, Saturn is bringing the fear, Jupiter the temporary relief, but Pluto will bring the long lasting change.

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Monday 11 July 2011

As Europe struggles with the mounting debt crisis, will the Euro collapse under the pressure?

Euro

I’ve looked at both Greece and Ireland in previous months and the problems their debts are causing, and the spectre of Portugal defaulting their debts, even Spain and Italy possibly in the future is building up pressure on the Euro currency. It stands to reason that Germany and France, who are shouldering the burden of propping up their weaker neighbours are at some point going to say “non, nein, no more”, unless these countries find a solution to paying their own way and not relying on others. Trying to get everyone into a “one size fits all club” was never going to be easy, was it?

The Euro as a currency was born on midnight Jan 1st 2002 in Brussels, Belgium. There was great fanfare I remember with fireworks going off in Brussels to celebrate, however from an astrological point of view one would have immediately noticed a most overly optimistic chart with very stressful undertones. Those stresses are now starting to come firmly into view. On the chart we have a Sun/Venus conjunction in Capricorn opposite Jupiter in Cancer. Sun Venus is optimistic and ambitious and Jupiter in Cancer is inclusive, making everyone feel welcome and comfortable. This is a huge feeling of goodwill about this aspect. Yet Jupiter is retrograde and somewhat inwards looking. Were the celebrations felt more deeply within those who created the project than the population of Europe who were going to use the currency – was this a currency to satisfy the needs of the bureaucrats rather than that of the public? The security nature of Jupiter in Cancer seems to suggest that it was an “in-house” creation. Jupiter trines to Mars in Pisces which smacks of “over-confidence”, not worrying about the details, blithely going ahead and not being able to see potential pitfalls along the road. Mercury is quindecile to Jupiter suggesting that biased overblown ideas were behind the creation of the Euro. Idealism was present, idealism that the Euro was a huge step on the way to creating the United States of Europe. The Moon sits in proud showy Leo in the 10th house, this is the centrepiece of the whole grand project.

Eurocurrency NATAL

Below all these big aims and lofty ideals were stresses and strains on the chart. The Moon is subject to two oppositions from Mercury and from subversive Neptune and is at the point of a very stressful Thor’s Hammer formation, with a controlling heavyweight Pluto/Mars square at the base. A Pluto Mars square hints at great control and secrecy with veiled intentions. It also shows of internal power struggles and fights for ascendancy. As I see it, when the pressure is on and this aspect is activated by transit, or when one of the elements of the square (Mars or Pluto) makes a stressful connection by transit of progression themselves somewhere on the chart, then there must be a creative resolution of the problem through the apex planet, otherwise the result could be wholly destructive. That fact that the apex planet Moon is in fixed Leo means that a creative solution may not be so easily implemented. The fact that both Neptune and Mercury oppose the Moon suggests that some sticking plaster solution may be tried, trying to keep emotion down by misinforming (Neptune/Mercury) and giving out optimistic signs (Jupiter) that everything is alright and all the partners of the Euro are in agreement, whereas behind the scenes there is a fierce battle going on (Moon/Pluto) in how to proceed and keep the Euro stable. At the moment, Ireland has had one bail-out and Greece two keeping the markets at bay and keeping the Euro steady, however how long can this last?

There are a couple of aspects I have yet to touch upon. Uranus is peregrine in Aquarius showing that this was a social project which in truth was a bit of a creative gamble, Uranus is reckless by nature. It is sitting in the 5th house of speculation, and with all bets there are two outcomes, you can win or lose. You can’t sit on the fence. Saturn trine to Neptune is interesting as this is very conservative, you cling on rigidly to your beliefs. Those who created the Euro will fight tooth and nail to preserve it, until it is too late, that is. Then of course, Neptune being the stronger planet (the slower moving of the two will always prevail) will start to disintegrate all that belief causing confusion and ultimately a shift in strategy. That shift in strategy is also highlighted by a very stressful Saturn/Pluto opposition. Saturn and Pluto can show huge success when well aspected, but when confronted by pressure it is a combination that can completely destruct. Remember when the Euro had lift off, for the first few years of it’s existence the Euro surged ahead in value against all currencies. Now that the financial problems of Europe are coming to light, how long is it before the markets see the currency as hugely overrated? There is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off on this chart. Pluto destroys before things are rebuilt (Saturn).

The horoscope of the Euro suggests to me the scenario of a beautiful house built in an earthquake zone. At the moment we have the tremors going on shaking the house, but the foundations (the Pluto/Mars square, the Neptune/Saturn trine and the Saturn/Pluto opposition) are holding firm. The only thing is the big one is on it’s way and when it hits, the whole house may come crashing down.

So when is this time bomb going to go off? Well this bomb has a long slow fuse. Pluto, part of that stressful Saturn/Pluto opposition is approaching the nadir (bottom) of the Euro chart, by Solar Arc progression. At the same time by transit it is approaching a conjunction with the Euro’s natal Sun. Pluto has already made contact with the natal Venus at 7 degrees Capricorn and will return to hit exactly in January and finally in November next year. This connection is already starting to send shockwaves through the European community (Venus has social connotations). In 2013 as I see it, the deconstruction of the Euro will begin. Transiting Pluto hits the natal Sun 3 times through out 2013 making final exact contact in December of that year but the effects will continue for a year or two afterwards. In 2013, transiting Uranus will also be making a square to the natal Sun. Remember Pluto destroys so that new growth can begin and Uranus will add shock value. Uranus hits from the 7th house, so will the relationships (7th house) between the European countries which host the Euro start to splinter?  Maybe the Euro will be dropped by some countries or it will mutate into a different form completely? One can only but speculate right now. At the same time Solar Arc Pluto will oppose the natal Midheaven and square the Natal Ascendant in the summer of 2015, although the effect will be start to be felt a year or two ahead. This is changing the public face of the currency, entering a new era, possibly the destruction of the old model to be replaced by something new; perhaps the currency will cease to be at all? In the autumn of 2014 Solar Arc Mars squares the Ascendant and Midheaven too, this sounds like decisive and forceful action being taken to change the face of the Euro & Saturn trines natal Uranus so radical progressive new ideas and structures will be forming. Change will come quickly at this time and not without pain. 

Eurocurrency TRANSIT

One thing I can categorically say is that in 4-5 years time, the Euro will have a different look or structure to it. The European Union will also being facing a crisis or three as well in late 2014 as transiting Saturn connects with the European Pluto/Mars conjunction in Scorpio – now that’s an explosive connection to look forward to, which has the potential for the European Union to explode completely!!

EuropeanUnion NOV 14

A topic I will return to at another time…