The Great Saturn and Pluto conjunction of 2020. How will it affect us all?

I have been promising to write this article for quite a while now and many of my readers have been asking for it too, so today I finally get out the crystal ball and try and predict what may happen as these two most influential of planets connect up in the month of January 2020 and beyond.

Israel Hamas ceasefire - The forces of calm win over the need for aggression, for now…

Hi everyone. Today, the 1st August is the day of my solar return, my actual birthday is tomorrow and the skies above us show today is a day of contrasts and calmer waters to swim in. The main connection and action today as this ceasefire kicks in and talks begin is at 16 degrees of Cancer where Venus is moving, 16 degrees of Scorpio with Saturn and 16 degrees of Aries where we find Uranus.

Israel & Palestine - Why these two peas don't fit in the same pod.

After the latest news today that an Israeli bomb hit a UN run school in Gaza killing 15 and injuring over 200 people, I decided to have a look at the Astrology between these two bitter rivals both squabbling over the same land. If you want to know why these enemies always seem to end up fighting and killing each other, just look at each Astrology chart against each other. It is very easy to see why…

Three missing Israeli youngsters are found dead as Mercury stations to go direct.

Today at 13.50 UK time (GMT +1) Mercury stations to go direct and most of you out there with Mercury direct in your own charts will breathe a collective sigh of relief. Actually I have a friend of mine who has Mercury retrograde in her natal chart and the last three weeks have been fabulous for her, so just helps to prove the theory that those who were born with Mercury Rx can really benefit from it.

Visual Astrology Summer 2014 – A crisis point coming in the Middle East?

Sometimes on Solaris Astrology I change tack and have a look at the Visual Astrology picture rather than the horoscope wheel as both techniques are just as valid at predicting what may occur in the months ahead. As we get towards late Summer a very interesting picture starts to form in the skies above us and it may just predict a time when we see some a crisis with the leaders of the world having enough and deciding to act.

Naftali Bennett and Palestine – A match made in hell.

This is part 2 of a post looking at the new rising star of Israeli politics, Naftali Bennett. He is the leader of the Jewish Home party in Israel and his success in whipping up interest in the election race could see him being the balance of power in any new Netanyahu administration. He is known for his hard line view on Palestine, and he is totally opposed to a two state solution. The astrology between him and the Palestinian nation is amazingly difficult as I will now explain.

Naftali Bennett – Ultra conservative with power on his mind.

I love it when I come across a character that many people in the world have not heard of, and suddenly he springs into the limelight. Naftali Bennett could be one of those cases. If you have not heard about him, trust me you will. This man could become a really big player very soon in the Middle East. Just to set the scene, Naftali is the son of Jewish immigrants from San Francisco and he has risen to prominence through becoming the leader of the young political party in Israel, “Jewish Home”. He is reportedly electrifying the elections in Israel and his party could hold the balance of power after Tuesday, a force without which Binyamin Netanyahu will not be able to hold onto the premiership. At only 41 years of age, Naftali is “the rising star” of Israeli politics as well as being a controversial voice which is growing day by day in stature.

Bus bomb in Tel Aviv injures 10 people.

This could be a critical point in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. A bomb has exploded on a bus in Tel Aviv and initial reports say it has injured at least 10 people. It occurs as transiting Uranus is exactly square (0:01 degrees) to the Israeli natal Venus and is also trine the Israeli Moon representing the people. Venus the main target of this square rules the Israeli Ascendant and 8th house of death on the Israeli chart. The Moon sits in the 10th and rules the 10th of public reputation. Mars and Pluto also opposes Venus from the 3rd house of transportation.

Conflict in Israel – Pressure mounts to find a solution

The situation in Israel is teetering on the edge of all out civil war as the massed ranks of Israeli reserve troops stand ready on the border of Gaza waiting for the signal to enter the province. In the meantime, Israeli jets scream overhead making surgical strikes within the warren of streets in Gaza City and the rockets fly from the Hamas militants towards Israeli towns and settlements. The diplomats around the world are scurrying around trying to find a peace settlement, but trying to find any middle ground between these two peoples who both claim this land as their own is hugely difficult.

Israel and Iran – Tensions rising to boiling point.

The murder of an Iranian nuclear scientist yesterday, Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan blown up outside a Tehran university has raised the temperature of the already strained relationship between Iran and Israel. Now there is no proof that Mossad agents were to blame for the unexplained attack, however veiled threats coming out of Israel that Iran should “expect unusual events this year” has left the Iranians rather unhappy. Very unhappy indeed…

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

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.

As calls for a Palestinian state grow louder in Ramallah, is this a defining time for the state of Israel?

In Ramallah in the West Bank, the crowds are gathering ahead of a United Nations meeting in New York where the sticky problem of Israel & Palestinian independence is to be discussed. Their hope is that a Palestinian delegation visiting the UN this Friday can garner enough support (a two thirds majority) to put enough pressure on the United States and Israel to accept that Palestine should be allowed to gain autonomy. The likelihood is that this majority can be achieved at the UN, but crucially the US and Israel will almost certainly vote against it, potentially causing an almighty split, and plunging the region into a new wave of conflict & violence caused by disaffection with the whole process. How do the charts look?

The Palestinian chart formed on 15th November 1988 at 01.40 am in Jerusalem is picking a conjunction that is fuelling this uprising, Uranus conjunct to natal Mars. Looking at the natal chart, Mars sits in the Palestinian 7th house of relationships, the Palestinians have always been associated with violence and the fight for freedom, with Hamas and the PLO. Now the planet of freedom and independence, Uranus is conjunct to that reactionary Mars. Transiting Mars is now trine this connection and passing through confident Leo. The pressure is quickly building and there is direct action asking the World to back a Palestinian nation. Transiting Uranus is also square to natal Saturn, so here is a real bid to put back the barriers (Saturn) to bring about a new order. Uranus through Aquarius on the Palestinian chart rules the 6th house of the ordinary people and Aries ruled by Mars is on the cusp of the 8th house of change, death & underground action. If the people calling for change don’t get their way then the ramifications are clear. Uranus is a planet of revolution and progress, and if it’s will is not accepted, then violence and shock action will take place.

There are always two sides to this story so it is wise to look at the Israeli angle. The thing to notice is that transiting Saturn is closing in on the Libran Israeli ascendant. Looking back to last time Saturn was in this position, the Lebanon war was just beginning. At that time, Southern Lebanon had become home for 110,000 Palestinian refugees who had fled their homes in Palestine as well as home for the PLO. The war lasted 2 years and dragged in forces from Lebanon and Syria. The fact that Saturn is soon to cross the Ascendant again will have ramifications for Israel and her leaders. Capricorn on the Israeli chart is on the cusp of the 4th house, which amongst other things rules the land of the country. Questions of territory are going to dominate. Saturn hits the ascendant in the first week of November. This is going to be a critical time when decisions are going to be made.

We also have a couple of other interesting oppositions. Transiting Pluto is opposite the Israeli Venus in the 9th house. Pluto can be translated as a blockage or constriction but also transformation, death and destruction and Venus often in Mundane Astrology represents diplomacy. Will diplomacy cause Israel to change it’s tune? Will Israel’s need for control of it’s land and borders block all efforts for a peaceful solution to this problem, leading to violence and death? Venus through Libra rules the Israeli chart, so the way the Israelis use this Pluto energy will be crucial. We also have transiting Neptune opposing the Israeli Mars. Neptune is often associated with mobs, with the collective as well as suffering and confusion, and it rules through Aries on the cusp of the 6th house of the common people and the workers. This explains why people are now on the streets coming together calling for change? When transiting Mars conjoins natal Mars also in the first week of November, the potential for violence and suffering I think is very large. Through all this, Uranus stays very much in square to the Israeli Venus and trine to the Israeli Moon which through Cancer rules the Israeli leadership. This as I see it, is revolution and revolt against the ruling establishment, the lawmakers, coming from within the Israeli borders. I can see the potential of the Palestinian people having had enough of the situation, seeing their hoped dashed and deciding to force the issue themselves, just like their brothers in sisters in Egypt and Libya, Syria and Tunisia.

The whole situation could get very messy, the United States could really isolate itself from the rest of the world in supporting Israel, in the process upsetting the Arab world and ratcheting up tension in the Middle East. Astrological history tells us that violence and conflict does come in cycles, and this time with many of the planets in cardinal signs, direct action is something that will precipitate this time very easily. It is worrying, and one hopes that at the end of this week, the correct decisions to take the heat out of the rising tensions in Palestine and Israel can be found.    

Benjamin Netanyahu – Caught between a rock and a hard place.

Whilst the world were straining their eyes on the Capitol building to see if the Americans would pass a budget for the next year, a important concession was rung out of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu by President Obama, namely for Israel to accept the 1967 borders as a starting point for peace negotiations with the Palestinians, although places where Jewish settlers were now occupying must also be taken into consideration. In Israeli terms, this is a seismic shift in policy, after in May Netanyahu flatly refused to accept such an idea and at home & it may have severe consequences for a leader under pressure from his own people.
Benjamin Netanyahu was born on 21st October 1949 in Tel Aviv, Israel at 09.30am. He is a double Libran with both Sun and Moon in the sign of the scales and he has, if the birth time is correct a Sagittarian Ascendant although right on the cusp, quite possibly he may have Scorpio rising if the birth time was a couple of minutes out. Libra is the sign of the diplomat, the negotiator, the one who wants an easy stress free life & Benjamin is very Libran in nature with 4 planets in the sign. Incidentally, you may not know, but wheeling and dealing is in the very fabric of Israeli consciousness too (not that you would have known it in the past few years), as Israel also has a Libran ascendant; one which conjuncts with Netanyahu’s Sun. They go together like peaches and cream. Libra does have one big fault though, not being able to make one’s mind up and wanting to keep people happy and it leads you to sit on the fence when a critical decision does have to be made.

To the chart. Netanyahu has his Sun, Moon and Neptune all in the 11th house in Libra surrounding the South Node and still in conjunction with them but in the 10th sits Mercury. It is funny and quite ironic that the 11th house is both the house of politicians and also of love received, politicians adore all the attention, don’t they? That’s why they get into the job. With such a focus on the 11th house, politics and committees were always going to be an avenue Netanyahu in life would have travelled down. Eleventh house people need appreciation and love shown to them, and in that Libran way he will be able to “bend” or sacrifice principles to get the peace and harmony he inwardly craves as well as position himself to vault himself up the political ladder. Netanyahu is somewhat of a yes man, certainly in regard to his dealings with others in positions of power. Now, this chart does have 6 planets in cardinal signs so Netanyahu will be a go ahead type. It leads me to believe that he will act despite the Libran inclination to prevaricate, but in order to keep others around him sweet and possible at the expense of other more pressing matters. Criticism in Israel of Netanyahu’s tenure as Prime Minister has been of his pre-occupation of keeping his coalition together, rather than forging ahead with new policies.
Sun, Moon, Neptune and Mercury is not only quite a gentle combination but also a slippery one too. This conjunction on this chart gives me the impression that Netanyahu goes very much on his instincts in negotiation and discussion, able to go with the flow. We have the influence of both water and air here, highly tuned in but also extremely flexible, so long as it is in the best interest of Netanyahu (and in turn through the connection of the two charts, the Israeli interest). Netanyahu knows his history, Moon and Mercury (especially in 10th) in conjunction always shows a deeply ingrained love of the past, and he should know what will and won’t be acceptable to his people.
I feel that this passionate love of the homeland and history would have been ingrained into Benjamin by his mother, especially because of the close link of the Moon to the South Node and thus Nodal axis. There would have been an inseparable bond between them. The Sun/Moon/Neptune Mercury stellium make a sextile out to Pluto and Mars in Leo in conjunction in the 9th house of faith, education, wisdom and internationalism. This is a very power driven combination, ruthless & determined to make one’s mark on the world. Netanyahu’s Jewish faith will be very close to his soul, and he will defend it with all his might; as faith and homeland are so intertwined, he would fight just as much for his country shown by Mars sextile to his Sun (conjunct Israeli Ascendant). He entered the Israeli army after leaving school and served in the special elite forces with distinction. With a strong accent on this chart on the 9th house, it is no surprise that a major part of Benjamin’s life was spent abroad, mainly in the US studying. Before he became Prime Minister, he served as a long time as Israeli foreign minister, and the international influence in his life also extended to his relationships as he was to married a British woman, the second of 3 marriages in his life so far. Gemini is on the cusp of the 7th house, so Benjamin was never going to be one who would be emotionally tied to just one woman in his life, Gemini is just too fickle for that, and Mercury ruling Gemini is in conjunction with Neptune, which is always searching for the ideal. This is backed up Venus in Sagittarius square to Saturn. Venus in Sagittarius wanders for love, is never settled, always wants more and is not afraid of taking the odd emotional risk. Along that road, Benjamin would have met a lot of setbacks and disappointments (Saturn) in his search for the ultimate love (remember back to the 11th house and his need for love).
We find Saturn in critical Virgo conjunct the Virgo Midheaven. The Virgo accent here clearly gives the message of serving others by administration. There is a hard critical edge to his work dealings, a penchant for order and correctness. I can imagine him to be a hard and severe task master to those below him. Saturn conjunct to the Midheaven is a statement of ambition to rise to the top of the tree, which he has done. The Saturn square to Venus I wrote of earlier leads us to the first house. There is obviously a very sociable side to Benjamin away from his work, although I feel that Saturn’s influence would get in the way of him being a true party animal. Venus in the first is very conscious of one’s personal appearance, and again rather than being casual and relaxed as you would expect a Venus in Sagittarius to be, I suspect that neat and tidy would be preferred Netanyahu’s style, coloured by that precise, just so Saturn. Venus in Sagittarius does hint at the idea of idealism, and that idealism in Benjamin flows out from Venus through aspects to Mercury and Neptune (political idealism, 11th), to Saturn and the Midheaven (idealism in his ambitions & position in society/work, 10th) and to Pluto (idealism of his strongly held beliefs and faith, 9th). you can see why he took the path in life he did.
The Sun and Moon square to Jupiter in the 2nd house of money. Here is a big spender who will like a lavish lifestyle, no expense will be spared in acquiring quality possessions. This is a generous man with a big, almost self inflated ego. The square hints to a cheerful, optimistic disposition who generally looks to the bight side in life, there’s always another opportunity around the corner. Jupiter in Capricorn is shrewd with money and here we see another link with his work career and Netanyahu served as Israeli finance minister. Uranus sits in the 8th house of big business and points to him being a big advocate of free market policy, Uranus never if fond of restrictions of any sort. Uranus squares back to Mercury giving him a quick thinking brain; he is an original thinker and will be a electric public speaker able to excite a crowd.
Uranus in the 8th house of change and death is a very dangerous position for it to be sitting, especially if one has a Pluto Mars conjunction as well. It certainly hints at a very up and down life, with big highs and lows, three marriages is an indication of the rollercoaster that Benjamin has lead. His brother Yonathan was killed in the forces while in military action (Aquarius ruled by Uranus is on the cusp of the 3rd house of brothers and sisters) and I get the feeling that Mr Netanyahu better be careful in the decisions he makes, there are a lot of enemies he could make whatever he decides on the Israel/Palestinian question, and nationally he is already in a weak situation.

Currently we are approaching one of those very nasty and potentially dangerous periods for his own political ambitions. Transiting Uranus is square Benjamin’s natal Uranus which is also being opposed by transiting Pluto. On 10th/11th August, Mars will conjunct Netanyahu’s Uranus at 5 Cancer and a few days later hit the July 1st eclipse degree of 9 Cancer, still in conjunction with that natal Uranus. Remember, Mars and Pluto are in conjunction in Benjamin’s chart so any Mars transit will be transformational. In this few days we have Uranus, Mars and Pluto all combining. Now Pluto is operating out of the second house of finance and natal Uranus is in the house of other people’s finance and possessions. Netanyahu at home is facing social protests (Uranus) over housing and social benefits (all 8th house and Uranian issues) and he has record low popularity ratings. Pluto’s rules Scorpio which rules the 12th house on this chart, so Netanyahu will feel helpless to stop the terminal decline he is facing. There could be worse to come as Mars connects up with natal Uranus and hits the eclipse degree. The fact that that eclipse hit Netanyahu in the 8th house of change close to natal Uranus could be a fatal hit. Transiting Saturn also shows a similar picture, as it is conjunct natal Neptune (showing weakness) and it will soon hit his 11th house Moon (depressing) and South Node (a spot on the chart which is always a fall position). By agreeing to this so called compromise with Obama, will the coalition in the Israeli Knesset stay together, or will his own Likud party members see this agreement as the last straw, and decide to distance themselves permanently from the embattled Israeli Prime Minister? The stars do not look helpful for him…

Israel, the PLO and Palestine – Violence and attacks on the rise again between two bitter enemies

An attack on a bus in Jerusalem, then rockets are fired from Gaza into Israeli territory. Tensions are rising again between Israel and the PLO, the Palestine Liberation Organisation. With the PLO, I use the declaration of Palestine chart, set for 15th Nov 1988 at 01.40am in Jerusalem. Looking at the composite and synastry charts between the two, the mistrust and aggressive attitude between the two is plain to see.

The synastry chart is truly horrible. Sun is opposite Sun (both share opposing points of view), Palestine’s Moon is opposite Israel’s Midheaven (the Palestinian people against the rulers of Israel and are under their thumb), Neptune is square Neptune each one trying to deceive the other, the PLO’s Saturn/Uranus conjunction trine Israel’s Mars (the Israel military trying to destroy the PLO’s revolutionary command), The PLO’s Mars is trine Israel’s Moon, the PLO are not afraid of attacking the Israeli people and finally the PLO’s Pluto & Mercury sits on Israel’s South Node square Israel’s Pluto/Saturn and obviously opposite Israel’s North Node. These two are fatefully joined together and the PLO is determined to control and destroy Israel’s rulers. In essence, they are bitter enemies who would like to wipe each other off the map of the world if they could and were allowed to.

The composite chart is not much better, with a nasty Pluto opposite Uranus, Moon conjunct harsh Saturn which is downbeat and depressing and Sun, Mercury Venus square Neptune which is deceptive and underhand. Mars is in a tight square to Jupiter, showing the tendency towards excessive force and violence.

So why are the attacks starting up again? Showing transits to the composite chart, both transiting aggressive Mars and transiting Uranus are conjunct the composite Uranus aggravating tensions between the two, transiting Uranus is opposite Pluto and potentially worse is transiting Pluto is a couple of degrees from hitting opposing the composite Midheaven at 14 Cancer and squaring the Ascendant at 13 Libra. Pluto’s effect is starting to take hold and it will first hit 13 degrees Capricorn in March 2014.

I do worry what will happen in that part of the world this time next year. Obviously we have had the situations in Tunisia, Egypt, currently Libya, Bahrain is unsettled, Syria looks nasty, Iran has the potential for trouble ahead, I believe the situation in Saudi Arabia will worsen and a conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people would plunge the region into utter chaos. Pluto inevitably will slowly start to disintegrate the already nasty relationship between the two as it closes in to exactitude and it’s ultimate role will be complete metamorphosis, maybe even destruction before new structures in the region can be built. With the current nature of the relationship including the mutual hatred shown in the charts, I can see the possibility of a very serious situation occurring. Watch this space…

**Update 27th March 11** Israeli air strike on Gaza Strip this evening killing 2 people even though the Palestinians offered a truce. With the planets in an angry mood as I wrote earlier, watch out for tit of tat violence.