August
8, 2006
Leo
Tolstoy, in Anna Karenina, wrote, “All happy
families are like one another; each unhappy family is unhappy
in its own way.”
Although
Tolstoy was writing about families of people, we can also
apply this truth to the families of nations. There seem
to be a lot of unhappy countries in the world today, each
unhappy in its own way. That is also one way of seeing
the Saturn-Neptune opposition.
The
2010 Square
Despite
the general slough of despond in which many families of nations
now find themselves, however, the
Middle East is not
about to explode into World War III. This is not to minimize
the pain and suffering that is taking place in that part of
the world, particularly in Lebanon,
Iraq, and
Israel.
One cannot help but feel great sadness when witnessing the
human toll in war.
True,
we now have the Jupiter-Saturn square, challenging the world's
paradigms once again as it did in 2000. And we recently
had the Mars-Saturn conjunction.Astrologically, though, we
are not yet facing anything like Armageddon.
A
more widespread conflict will intensify in the summer of 2010.
Just
four years from now, the world will face an extremely
stressful planetary alignment. A Jupiter-Uranus conjunction
will be opposing a Mars-Saturn conjunction. This opposition
will be squared by Pluto. All five of these planets will,
at one time, be in the early degrees of cardinal signs. The
“empty space” where the energy of this dynamic
square will focus is the early degrees of Cancer—which
is where we find the U.S. Venus, Jupiter,
and Sun. In other words, the U.S.
will be heavily affected by the 2010 square (see bi-wheel
below; I'm using the Sibly chart for the U.S., but the same
chart dynamics would apply for any July 4, 1776 horoscope).
Highly recomended: Read
Bill Street’s excellent analysis of how this powerful
square will play out on the world stage and in our own lives.
Inner:
US horoscope; Outer: 2010 square
The
Middle East in 2010
Current
events in the Middle East
are intensifying these oppositions, which will manifest fully
in 2010. Oppositions of planets are reflections of oppositional
energies in the world.
In
an article I wrote three years ago for
The Mountain Astrologer, I noted
the importance of a horoscope for the Middle East Mandate
(see horoscope below):
“Astrologer
Michael Baigent advocates the Middle East Mandate of the League
of Nations as a ‘master chart’ and
central reference point when examining events centering in
that region [Michael Baigent, Nicholas Campion, and
Charles Harvey. Mundane
Astrology, London: Thorsons,
1995, p. 473. Michael
Baigent’s discussion of the historical background and
importance of this chart are on pages 471-476,
with a chart for the Middle
East Mandate shown on page 472].
“The
Middle East Mandate imposed political divisions after World
War I, creating the artificial states of Iraq,
Syria,
Palestine, and Lebanon.
In particular, the carving out by Western nations of
arbitrary borders, rather than indigenous ones, foreshadowed
current Western desires to shape the development of post-Saddam
Hussein Iraq
as well as the wider Middle East.”
The
geo-political area of the Middle East Mandate is precisely
where we are seeing so much conflict today. In mid-2010, Uranus
will be at 0° Aries, the powerful Aries point. Jupiter will
be at 3° Aries. The Middle East Mandate chart’s Midheaven
is 1° Aries. This symbolizes that events will inflame the
Middle East in 2010 much
more than what we are presently seeing.
The
Middle East chart has Pluto at 5° Cancer, conjoining the exalted
U.S. Jupiter: The fortunes (Jupiter) of the U.S are inextricably
bound to the power (Pluto) of the Middle
East. Like
the U.S.,
the Middle East will be greatly
affected by the 2010 square. This in turn will affect the
U.S.
Middle
East Mandate
Saturn
and Pluto
Saturn
and Pluto move in a 36-year cycle. The two planets were opposite
one another at the time of 9/11, just as they were in another
momentous year, 1965 (although I’m not a big fan of
historical timelines, this
one gives a pretty good picture of 1965). In 2010, they
will be in square aspect, meaning the energy which was released
during the opposition in 2001 will be intensifying once again.
The
Saturn-Pluto cycle has been a marker for recent historical
events. Saturn and Pluto were conjunct when the U.S. Marine
barracks was bombed in
Lebanon
in 1983, killing 241 soldiers. Saturn and Pluto were squaring
each other on February 26, 1993, the date of the first bombing
of the World
Trade Center,
then opposing on 9/11, and in 2010 they will be square once
again.
Israel
The
chart for Israel
(May 14, 1948, 4:37 PM, Tel Aviv, according to Nicholas Campion
in the Book of World
Horoscopes) has a powerful 10th house tenanted
by the Moon, Pluto, Saturn, and Mars—all in Leo (see
chart below). The Sun, ruler of the Israel 10th
house and the Leo stellium, is situated in the 7th
house, indicating Israel’s involvement throughout its
history with open enemies, as well as its strong relationship
with allies such as the U.S.
Israel’s invasion
of Lebanon
is occurring while both Mars and Saturn are transiting through
Israel’s
10th house, with Saturn hitting Pluto and making
a second Saturn return, while Mars is also completing a return
to its national birth degree. Transiting Pluto is within 3°
of Israel’s
strong Sagittarius Jupiter.
Israel
Horoscope
Putting
it all Together
Where
we are going is the square of 2010, when we will have the
Jupiter-Saturn opposition and a Saturn-Pluto square. Those alone
would be enough to give pause, but Mars and Uranus will be added
to the square, giving it even more explosive power. We cannot
see exactly what will happen, only that something WILL HAPPEN
and that it will involve the U.S. and the Middle East with many
of the same historical themes which have been evident over the
past 25 years.
