Romania – Born out of the shadow of death and revolution

I was asked by a loyal follower of mine Maia about the situation in Romania, and true to my word, I'm responding to her request, and actually it's quite appropriate. Modern Romania was born on the moment Nicolae Ceausescu fled by helicopter on 22nd December 1989 from the headquarters of the Communist Party in what used to be called Palace Square (now known as Revolution Square) in Central Bucharest. There had been demonstrations against the Ceausescu regime in Timisoara and 8 minutes into his speech in Bucharest on a freezing cold morning in front of an agitated crowd, the people scarred by years of impoverishment rounded on him defying years of state terror and control. Their patience had finally snapped after years of suffering and communist lead failure, and the protests turned into a full scale revolution. Fearing for his safety, Ceausescu fled to a waiting helicopter and escaped seconds before he was caught. He was located days later, immediately tried, convicted and sentenced to death; a sentence carried out in brutal fashion in front a firing squad. There was a news report from a Yugoslav news agency TanJug at mentioning the fleeing of Ceausescu at 11.48am in Bucharest, and this is the time I take for the moment that Romania turned a corner.

Zimbabwe in crisis – Political theatre, tanks, vested interests and China.

There is a very interesting power play going on in Zimbabwe at the moment, but what is really going on? Is there an official coup in progress against 93 year old President Robert Mugabe? Then again, he has been seen on the national TV service that the military now control, at home and seemingly in control. It appears that he is confined to home, but free to speak. What’s going on? Let’s take a closer look…

Libya - tearing itself apart through fractional fighting.

While the eyes of the world have been on flight MH17, Ukraine, Israel and the Gaza strip, in Northern Africa, civil war threatens to tear the country of Libya formally ruled by Colonel Qaddafi to pieces. The situation is so dangerous that the British foreign office have told all Britons to leave the North African nation and the Americans recently pulled their people out too.

Malaysian Airlines MH17 – Blasted out of the sky at 33,000 feet. Looking at the Astrology of this awful tragedy.

When I heard the news I could not believe it. Another Malaysia Airlines airplane lost. This time though there was no doubt to what happened to it. Flight MH017 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was blown out the sky by a BUK Russian ground to air missile fired from Eastern Ukraine killing all 298 people on board. The incident has been condemned by every world leader, and questions will now be asked of why this appalling tragedy happened…

ISIS rebels declare an Islamic caliphate.

Yesterday may prove to be quite a significant day in the Middle East. Confident because of the gains they had made and at the start of the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, Ramadan, the leaders of ISIS (the Islamic state of Iraq and Syria) declared the formation of a caliphate, effectively a pan Islamic state covering the area that ISIS has captured. I mentioned this very possibility on my Facebook page because of the movement of Jupiter onto the star of Pollux a few weeks ago. Pollux is a dark influence and it suggested to me the rise of a new damaging ideology. Now Jupiter has progressed onto the star Procyon, a star of taking the initiative and of taking the opportunities while they are there, and indicating the change or progression of one state to another. This duly has happened as the planet of faith linked up with this star. The connections of the outer planets to the stars always tell the story and they have again this time. Jupiter in visual Astrology is known as “the pretender to the throne” and now we have a new one in the form of ISIS, and in particular it’s leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. It is interesting to look at the timing of this announcement a bit more closely so that we can track the progress of this dangerous development in this most volatile of world regions.

Ukraine protests intensify as Yanukovych refuses to sign EU deal.

European Union supporters and demonstrators against the government of Viktor Yanukovych protested in freezing temperatures in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital against his refusal to sign a deal with the European Union to get closer ties with the West. Many think that he is being heavily leant upon by Vladimir Putin and Russia to the north, however jailed former leader Yulia Tymoshenko  who is on hunger strike from her prison cell through her daughter Eugenia called for the people to rise up and not let the government take away the hope that one day Ukraine could join the wider European family. Vitaly Klitschko the leader of the opposition UDAR party has also called for protests and pressure is rising on Yanukovych to act to quell the dissent.

Syria – A very serious situation gets even worse.

Heart-breaking. That’s the only word I can think of when considering what is transpiring in the country of Syria. A civil war has been raging for 2 years, many thousands on both sides have been killed including women and children, mass graves have been found and now news of chemical weapons being used. If you look at the astrology chart of Syria, one can clearly see the horrible situation that has developed.

Egypt – Unrest harking back to the past

The horrible violence in Egypt and the armed forces’ aggressive response to the protests by the pro Mohamed Morsi supporters have shocked the world. The violence that precipitated on the 14th August where more than 600 people were killed really showed that Egyptian society is now deeply divided. Morsi’s party the Muslim Brotherhood still has a lot of support in the country, but the feeling is that General al-Sisi and his backers want to outlaw them and return Egypt back to the kind of military rule that sustained Hosni Mubarak for 30 odd years. In Astrological terms a return to conditions of the past are often seen through the movement of the Nodal axis or transits to them. On the Egyptian natal chart, this is exactly what is happening.

Egypt – Disruption, violence and confusion reigns

In Egypt since the military coup last week taking down the government of Mohamed Morsi, the now former President, there has been celebrations, violence, more protests and still no-one has stepped into the breach to officially take over to lead the country out of the confusion that now has a hold over the population. In looking at the transits and the history of this chart, you can see repeated themes popping up through the years.

Pussy Riot trial divides Russia and enrages the music world.

In the UK we understand the power of protest and the the right for free speech, especially in artistic forms. Tell me another country in the world which would allow an excerpt from the punk anarchist anthem “God Save the Queen” by the Sex Pistols to be played at the open ceremony of their own Olympic Games with the serving monarch of the day in attendance? I bet you can’t. In Russia, the authorities are not so enamoured by such behaviour. In a trial that is catching world headlines, Maria Alyokhina, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, and Yekaterina Samutsevich all members of the female Punk protest group “Pussy Riot” have just been found guilty of hooliganism, after performing an anti Putin protest song in Moscow's Christ the Saviour cathedral in February and have been sentenced to 2 years in jail. As ever there is an astrological story behind the events in Moscow right now, and glimpsing ahead, this could be a seminal moment in the future of modern Russia.

Syria – Three of Assad’s inner circle killed in bomb blast.

Reports out of Damascus today say that 3 of the top members of President Assad’s inner circle were killed by a suicide bomber. President Bashar al-Assad's brother-in-law, Deputy Defence Minister Gen Asef Shawkat, as well as Defence Minister Gen Daoud Rajiha and former Defence Minister Hassan Turkomani were caught up in the blast severely weakening the hold of Assad over an increasingly militant and unsettled Syrian population.

Yulia Tymoshenko – Being held behind bars but still defiant.

Sometimes you just need to look into the eyes of a person in a picture and you immediately know what they are all about. Look into the eyes of Yulia Tymoshenko, and you see one determined lady. Yulia, the former Prime Minister of Ukraine and one of the leaders of the Orange revolution in Ukraine back in 2004, was rather controversially thrown into jail for brokering an alleged bad deal for her country during her second term in office via an agreement with Russia over the provision of gas supplies. Seeing that Ukraine often shivers under sub-zero temperatures in harsh winters and in 2009 Russia had previously turned off the taps for 13 days, I suspect Tymoshenko's hands were somewhat tied when agreeing to a deal to preserve Ukraine’s gas supply. Her story has hit the headlines as she has been suffering severe back problems, made worse by being allegedly punched by prison guards as she was being taken for medical treatment. In response, she has gone on hunger strike and on finding out her plight, several European countries including Germany have boycotted an international summit which was to be held in Yalta, and the European Football championships which are taking place in Poland & Ukraine this summer may yet be affected too. Yes, the treatment of Yulia is bad and should be condemned, but Yulia herself is no angel as the astrology shows.

Syria – The world sits and watches as the death toll rises.

A bit more on the Syrian crisis which continues to dominate the news channels across the world. President Assad is continuing to assert his iron grip over an ever desperate population. Unlike in Libya, the world powers seem reluctant to step into the viper’s nest that is Syria, possibly because there are no oil reserve in the country, and a whole lot of potential religious problems to deal with if you get stuck in there. The world it seems has no more stomach for a drawn out conflict, as happened in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Russians who vetoed the latest round of proposed sanctions have self interest at heart, as they have provided Assad with much of the military hardware that he is using on his population, and China’s veto against sanctions probably was related to it’s own problems with Tibet which is bubbling again. The Chinese view seems to be that they do not want to sanction any intervention, because they themselves are supressing the Tibetan minority against their will, and their view is that the leaders of each country must be able to do exactly as they need to control their own people, and their right to national sovereignty is absolutely sacrosanct.

Aung San Suu Kyi – Tied to Burma’s past and Burma’s future.

Today, Aung San Suu Kyi made the claim that democracy in Burma was not too far away. When the day does come, and democratic power is restored, the whole world will celebrate. This lady, in the peaceful dignified way she has opposed the military regime which took power in her country back in 1988, deserves a chance to bring Burma back into the international fold. She is a truly remarkable woman, and her links to Burma through the astrology shows why she caught the imagination of the people, and why the military rulers so feared her.

Aung San Suu Kyi was born on 19th June 1945 in Rangoon, Burma (no birth time known). She is communicative Gemini and has a Libran Moon. The combination of Sun and Moon in air signs shows a person who is sociable and clever and who enjoys debate, discussion, ideas and principles. Her Gemini Sun is conjunct to Mercury in Cancer, so she is someone who speaks and writes with emotion, and is proud of her history her roots and her country. Her Moon is in wide conjunction to Neptune also in Libra, which brings gentle emotions and this Moon is trine to Uranus in Gemini. Here is a link between the gentle spiritual Moon/Neptune conjunction and social revolution and freedom. The Gemini influence on Uranus indicates that she would be vocal in this rebellion against restrictions. Uranus in Gemini is always curious and eager to learn and people with this position  normally are progressive thinkers.

This is a lady with great fortitude and strength. Mars and Venus together in Taurus is a very gentle and peaceful combination. Venus in Taurus is steadfast and loyal Mars is dedicated and determined. Daw Suu “Auntie Suu” as the Burmese nickname her, is like the tortoise in the children’s story “The Hare and the Tortoise”. She will keep plodding along until the day is won.  When someone with Mars in Taurus gets on a mission, it is very difficult if nigh on impossible to stop them. This Mars/Venus conjunction is trine to Pluto which brings limitless compassionate energy to her.

Her mission is to lead and to run her country. Her father was head of the Burmese army who helped gain independence for Burma, however he was assassinated when Aung San Suu Kyi was just one. Her mother later gained prominence within the Burmese Government and became an overseas Ambassador to India, allowing Aung San Suu Kyi to travel and get a foreign education. Her relationship with her mother would not have been easy with Saturn in Cancer conjunct the Nodal (maternal) axis square to the Moon, I don’t think they would have seen eye to eye, but Saturn’s proximity to the North Node not only showed Aung San Suu Kyi’s dependence on her mother as well as pointing out her mother’s responsible position, but also predicted the future. It showed that it was in her destiny to eventually rise to political leadership (Saturn in 10th house) in her home nation (Cancer).

The relationship between her chart and Burma is inescapable. I have put her chart on the outside as we know Burma’s time of formation, 4th Jan 1948 in Rangoon. Aung San Suu Kyi’s North Node and Saturn opposes the Burmese Sun, a karmic connection between her and the nation and her Sun is in a quindecile aspect (150 degrees) to the Burmese Sun and Mercury, a very focused link between her and the leadership of her country. Her Sun sits in the 7th house of open enemies, so she would attract as much opposition as support. Her Moon and Neptune conjunction conjuncts the Burmese Moon and Neptune conjunction in democratic, social and fair Libra in the 10th house of government. The Moon in a country chart represents the people, and leaders of countries often have connections between their Moon and the country’s Moon, showing acceptance and being on the same wavelength as the people. Her Jupiter in also in the 10th house conjunct to the Burmese Midheaven. If she ever came to power, her influence would bring liberty, luck and fortune to the country. Her Uranus sits on the Burmese descendant just into the 7th house, showing her revolutionary stance as someone who would oppose, then overturn the status quo.

Moving on to her relationship with the military regime. In 1988, the Military staged a coup d’état (known as the 8888 uprising) due to their view that the country was being mismanaged. One can understand the profligacy of the Burmese government at the time with the national chart having a Sagittarian Ascendant and Jupiter in the 1st house!! Over expansive or what?? Apparently the day and time of formation of Burma in 1948 was due to the astrologers of the time thinking that having such a Jupiter and Sagittarian influence was lucky. You can have too much of a good thing… Astrology and spirituality has always been a major part of Burmese life.

Immediately you can see Aung San Suu Kyi’s Sun Uranus Mercury North Node and Saturn opposing the military’s Neptune, Uranus, Saturn and Moon, squared by the military’s Mars, like two armies facing each other. You can see the opposition to her authority (Saturn quindecile Saturn) with the military having the upper hand through the square to her Nodal axis and Saturn by their aggressive Mars in Aries. Her compassionate gentle Venus opposed the regime’s Pluto and squared their own Venus is in regal Leo. Did this astrological position predict the future at the time of the coup? The imprisonment (Pluto) of the regime’s most prominent opponent (opposing), who was a peaceful woman (Venus in Taurus), however this woman would capture the attention of the world and her star would rise putting her in the spotlight (Venus in Leo) ready to take control herself once the regime ended (ASSK’s Pluto in Leo conjunct Venus in Leo).

That time is now approaching and looking back over Burma’s history you can see that the country responds to the Nodal Axis, especially when it hits an angle. At the time of the coup, the transiting South Node (a time of detriment) was conjunct the Burmese Midheaven. look at the position of the natal Burmese South Node, in secretive controlling Scorpio hidden away in the 12th house. That is exactly the type of regime that Burma became after the coup.

In 2007 as the South Node returned to connect with the Midheaven and Uranus opposed joining the North Node at the nadir of the chart, the eyes of the world were on Burma again, as the people rose up against Military rule. While under house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi appeared at the gate of her house briefly to support the monks who were demonstrating against human rights however, as the South Node connected with the natal Mars (the Nodes move clockwise around the chart) in September 07, the military quelled the revolt, killing many of the peaceful protesters in the process, and shocking the world with their brutal response. The message however had I think got through, and slowly but surely the military grip has been weakening on Burma ever since.

In the past week, the British Foreign secretary has been visiting Rangoon, meeting Aung San Suu Kyi, something seen as impossible just a few years ago. This meeting comes as the transiting North Node makes contact with the Burmese Ascendant, and full change is not so far away. Transiting Pluto is approaching a conjunction with the Burmese Sun at 12 Capricorn. Actual contact will not be complete until March 2014, but I expect the controls on the country will be loosened more and more as Burma prepares for free and fair elections. At that point the transiting South Node will be sitting bang on Burma’s progressed Venus. How more appropriate a time for the accession of their beloved female freedom fighter. I expect the transformation of the country then to be complete, and for Aung San Suu Kyi to fulfil her destiny and lead her nation.

Turkey – Will Erdogan decide to intervene by sending Turkish forces into Syria to topple Assad?

I have been keeping a close eye on the Turkish national chart over the past few weeks as I suspected that Turkey may hold the key to one or more of the problems in the Middle East region. Now with the Syrian crisis really heating up right on Turkey’s south east border, an area traditionally dominated by Kurdish citizens, I have a distinct feeling that Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s prime minister may decide to act before any disturbance spills over into his country.

Syria Protests – Pressure mounts on Assad as the Syrian crisis reaches the end game

Back on 22nd March I looked at Syria and I predicted that the end of this particular saga would come in December this year. Right on cue the Arab league, Jordan’s King Abdullah, the European Union  in the form of sanctions and harsh criticism from Turkey are all tightening the noose around the neck of President Assad of Syria. Violence has escalated in the past couple of weeks and finally there may be a resolution to the situation before too long. I am reposting what I wrote back in March and afterwards I will look in a bit more detail how the end may come.

Occupy Wall Street – The battle goes on. Examining the Astrology of the anti capitalist movement.

Tomorrow will be the 2nd month since the beginning of the Occupy Wall Street movement, a rolling protest that has gathered in steam and size as it’s effects and influence have spread around the world. As I write the main focus site for the group Zuccotti Park in Lower Manhattan, has been cleared by the New York police, however this will only enliven the protest yet further. It is a direct reflection of the current Pluto/Uranus square which is still in operation and will be for the next 3 years.

Colonel Gaddafi – Captured and killed by the Libyan rebel forces

Reports out this afternoon say that Colonel Muammar Al-Gaddafi was captured by the Libyan Rebel forces in Gaddafi’s home town of Sirte, apparently after a gun battle. Like Saddam Hussein before him, the dictator was finally caught hiding like a coward underground in some drain tunnels, in a vain attempt to avoid his enemies. The unconfirmed video of Gaddafi lying dead in front of his captors has just been shown on the UK’s Sky News.

This report does not surprise me. Back in August on this blog, I predicted that the end of October would be the end of the line for Libya’s fallen dictator. I am pleased for the Libyan people, as now they will have closure and they can look to the future hopefully with some optimism. I trust that they can now go on to make their homeland a peaceful and successful country.

I am reposting what I wrote back in August explaining the timeline as I then saw it for the endgame for the battle for Libya and the continuing hunt for their leader.

Libya – Gaddafi’s hold on power coming to an end.

It has been a long battle but as the rebel forces approach the outskirts of Libya’s capital city Tripoli, the end is surely nigh for Colonel Gaddafi’s rule of the country. A quick look at the current transits against the natal chart of Libya show the battle for the country is approaching the end game.

There are fierce battles going on right now as the rebel army approaches the Libyan capital and these are shown by transiting Mars which is conjunct to the natal Uranus. Mars is passing through the ruling 10th house of government and the nation’s public image, symbolising the bloody and chaotic nature of the advancement. The transiting Mars is also approaching a square with natal Saturn and its own position, so the battle in a few days will really start to be underway in the seat of government, Tripoli. If you wish to see the natal Libyan chart please click here – Libya

My post on Colonel Gaddafi published 27th Feb 11 - Colonel Gaddafi

I have tried to show the situation and movement of the planets month by month.

You can see the progression of events through Saturn. The natal Saturn/Mars Neptune conjunction in the natal Libyan chart fans out by aspect all the other planets. Saturn’s connection by transit here this time will herald the overthrow of the present regime. With transiting Saturn now conjunct to Saturn and square to Uranus and soon to move into a conjunction with natal Mars, this will be a violent and bloody end to the conflict. I would expect the end to be between mid and late September, because Libya’s Ascendant and Midheaven is ruled by Mercury. Natal Mercury lies at 18 degrees Sagittarius, and transiting Saturn will make a sextile with Mercury in the last week of September. This in turn will activate the natal Mercury Ascendant Midheaven t-square. Sextiles present opportunities and this will be an opportunity to complete the job started many months ago by the rebel forces. The transiting Sun and Mercury at this point make an opposition with Jupiter and square the natal Sun, which itself will be receiving a square again from retrograde Uranus.

Saturn then goes on to make contact with Neptune at the end of October. At this point, there will be a vey interesting mini grand trine as well as a wedge formation created. Transiting Mars conjunct Pluto and transiting Neptune opposite Pluto which is very brutal and grief stricken. Transiting Mercury also feeds into this Mars Pluto conjunction by way of a square, showing that this contact will affect the whole nation. The transiting North Node conjunct both natal Mercury (the chart ruler) and opposite the Midheaven and at the point is Saturn conjunct natal Neptune. Might this literally be the end of the dream for Gaddafi? Unless the Libyan leader has already got out of the country, then it will be nigh impossible for him to escape once the battle for Tripoli finally gets underway. The South Node conjunct to the Midheaven is a most unfortunate position, and the brutal Mars Pluto Neptune connection hitting  the Saturn Neptune conjunction does say to me the end of the dream. If Gaddafi is caught, I suspect the rebels at this point will show no mercy to the dictator who ruled Libya for 40 years. 

****Update*****

The death of Gaddafi - Colonel Gaddafi – Captured and killed by the Libyan rebel forces

Al Qaeda – Can the terrorist organisation survive the death of Osama Bin Laden?

I decided not to look at Osama Bin Laden as we never had a confirmed date of birth for him. It was reported that he was born on 10th Mar 1950 but that was never substantiated. However we do have a starting point for Al Qaeda which was Osama’s creation and baby, and is an organisation that exists on in his own image. Al Qaeda was formed on 11th August 1988 after a meeting between the main principles including Bin Laden in Peshawar, Pakistan.

The chart is focused around the Uranus/Saturn and Neptune conjunction of the late 1980’s. Saturn and Uranus sit in faith based Sagittarius and mystical religious Neptune is widely conjunct in conservative Capricorn. This conjunction is opposite Venus in emotional Cancer. The Neptune Venus opposition which promotes the idea of a social ideal, this ideal is based around a revolutionary yet conservative and religious philosophy. The notion of the ideal is squared by a very aggressive Mars in assertive Aries on one side of the opposition and Pluto in transformational controlling Pluto sits powerfully in it’s own sign of Scorpio at the point of a wedge formation on the other side it. To achieve the ideal, Al Qaeda would use force (Mars) and resort to destruction (Pluto) to achieve it’s aims. Jupiter in Gemini encourages the organisation to export and communicate it’s religious philosophies wide and far and square to Mercury the organisation will have many plans on the go at any one time. Here is the idea of franchising out to more specialised groups around the world. The Sun, Moon and Mercury all sit in showy, proud, stubborn Leo. Al Qaeda likes to be in the spotlight, likes to make a show of any action it does. These three planets show a huge amount of arrogance, showing the pride before the fall if you will. As with Seve Ballesteros who I wrote about yesterday, this is a very fiery chart, however if you cut off the oxygen, the fire will soon extinguish. We find Mercury trine to Uranus so technology including the internet would be used to connect to it’s followers. Pluto squares to the Moon and this indicates extreme emotional intensity, even obsessional tendencies and the Moon is trine to aggressive Mars so Al Qaeda will confront any difficulties it has in a no nonsense forthright approach, using direct action.

Put all this together – an organisation hell-bent on a hard-line revolutionary religious ideal, one who wants to be seen and heard and will spread the word with emotional words and actions, and one which would resort to force, death and destruction if necessary.

Last week when the Americans acted to to kill Bin Laden, the Al Qaeda chart was under huge stress. All three corners of the natal t-square were being affected by difficult transits. Mars opposed by authoritarian Saturn putting a stop to the Al Qaeda military command. This was mirrored by the transiting North Node conjunct to natal Saturn, which indicates the loss of an authority figure. Natal Venus was being squared by transiting Uranus, so the financial arm of Al Qaeda was being cut off and most devastating of all natal Neptune was still conjunct to transiting Pluto affecting the Ascendant or the very essence and body of the organisation. This is the religious ideal and ethos I talked of earlier being either completely destroyed or entirely restructured in a new way, causing confusion, disarray and the end of the dream for many in the group. When Pluto moves round to square natal Mars at the point of the t-square next year, then one has to think that Al Qaeda military command will be crushed completely. Pluto is remorseless and will destroy all in it’s path. Just look how the financial institutions in the world were immediately affected by Pluto as it rolled into Capricorn in October 2008 – that transformation will carry on for the next 20-25 years!! One thing that is certain after Pluto has rolled through there will be a vacuum that will need to be filled. Maybe in time, Neptune in it’s own sign of Pisces will see the rise of a new spiritual leader to replace Bin Laden. One hopes too that this leader will have a gentler more moderate message. Neptune in Pisces is non combative and far more gentle than the Neptune in Capricorn era which gave rise to the financial clout and the hard line conservative views that Osama Bin Laden and his band of mercenaries had. One can only but hope…