Generation X / Pluto in Libra

 Bacchante by Witold Pruszkowski

 (1855, oil on canvas, Lviv National Art Gallery 

Back in 1971 and 1972, Pluto’s yearly direct-retrograde-direct cha-cha moved it from Virgo into Libra. That means that anyone born between October 5, 1971 and April 16, 1972…

Or between July 30, 1972 and November 5, 1983…

Or between May 18, 1984 and August 27, 1984 are all members of the tribe known as Gen X.

Given that wherever we see Pluto positioned natally we see a huge emphasis pro or con (and sometimes both) in a person’s life, it’s not surprising that those born as Gen X (under Pluto in Libra) are all about the pluses and minuses of All Things Libra. Libra being the sign of 'where cause becomes effect,' Gen X is the generation which brought us ‘branding’ and which has given rise to that wholly ‘let’s talk’ concept commonly known as networking. Both branding and networking have to do with creating an identity which others will know/react to in some given way.

But are they real? Or are they profitable in/at the personal level That becomes the Pluto in Libra question.

Libra is an air sign which in belonging to the zodiac’s 3rd quadrant is all about interaction. ‘The theory of the thing’ and what we bring to the table …to discuss, to negotiate about, to get opinions on, to get reactions through...that’s all entirely Libra.

And yes, people think of Libra as a sign about ‘relationships.' But it may be better thought of as a sign about relating. The whole 3rd quadrant is interactive and its native signs (Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius) are all three signature ‘stages’ in relationships. Libra is the talking and the establishing a basis for communication, alliance, personal comfort (or enmity) with each other. It's the idea of the thing. But it's not until we get to Scorpio that what we generally think about relationships – the sex, the money stuff, the arguments - that may come on line with Libra, but it doesn't get felt or make an emotional impact until one reaches the Scorpio level.

Libra is not deep-in-your-gut emotional. It’s fervent, it’s opinionated, it’s all about having a perspective. Libra is about the appearance of, and presenting a 'product' or  point of view which includes presenting one's self as a product and that which stands for a point of view.

Thus, branding. And thus, since Libra is the idea and not the reality, the nebulous world of networking. Libra doesn't get to and indeed is not highly comfortable with the carnal heat (and possibility of frigid rejection) we associate with Scorpio.

As for Sagittarius (third sign and third stage in this quadrant all about interacting)…Sagittarius relates to relationships by being the land of ‘working on it,’ ‘working it through,’ 'seeing how/if it works' and figuring out whether you need to make course corrections or maybe even just go back to the drawing board.

So when it comes to Pluto in Libra, we're talking about Pluto – a planet which is all about the lure or allure of the thing and which is NOT theoretical in experience (because it’s about the actuality of the transformative experience) being focused through a sign which merely is about the idea.

Hence Gen X's challenges. Gen X people tend to be very devoted to the ideas they believe in and often the ideals they think are right. But then life intervenes with that little Pluto twist.

Did I say LITTLE? That’s so wrong. Just as Pluto natally placed in Libra can spell devotion to the idea, it can also describe the idea which you can’t let go of even when it brings you to your knees.

(And that would be ‘brings you to your knees’ not in a good way!)

Probably more than many other metaphysical symbols, the experience of Plutonic forces cause us to reflect. They're about being in control, not being in control and whether we want to be in control or whether anyone is in control. Pluto experiences tend to be ‘transformative’ in connection to Scorpionic outcomes (read: how well we tolerate risk and how well we choose who to build alliances with and how well we build them)...and in that, Pluto - whether by transit or in the nativity - ends up pointing very directly to the opposition polarity.

Why would this possibly be? That would be because it's our choices of what to get into or what to not get into (and how those choices are based so directly on who we are or aren't with/within our own psyche) which ends up generating our outcomes.

Since it's always easier to look at history, we'll try out the Pluto in Leo/Baby Boomer formula. People born under Pluto in Leo are sometimes called the “Me Generation" - a call name which has everything to do with the Leo focus on developing or using one's native abilities. But Baby Boomer people aren’t really fulfilled and can't succeed until what or who they are gets out there and tied into the big Aquarian world of society and finding one's functional niche - the 'where you are accepted' thing. This glitch with Pluto in Leo is just like the Pluto in Virgo Yuppie challenge in that it begins with the 'doing it in my own back yard' (or mud puddle) and which can't succeed until or unless it works for everybody else.

That's all about the polarity of second quadrant signs where one develops the ability on a local level but then...well, in the case of the Yuppies, all begins in the Pluto in Virgo world of concrete operation, functional methodologies and aims, gains and systemic imperatives and ends up teaching its natives that to succeed in your own right (or life) you have to care about others.

And that means you have to (Pisces as opposition to Virgo) accept them for who they are (part one) and then recognize that you're 'one of them' and that that's the basis of your ultimate power.

Pluto placements show where life will pretty much force us to grow. And what we will need to grow into are the mandates of the zodiac's polarity sign, which with Gen X (Pluto in Libra) points directly at Aries.

This is sort of where it gets interesting however… Pluto in the first six signs of the zodiac operates on the Self and takes that to the worldly or interactive polarity sign. But with Pluto in any of the public signs (Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius or Pisces) what we learn there becomes the force which shapes us.

For plus, for minus, for undecided, for iffy, Pluto in Libra thus describes a generation which experiences the world they live in, the society in which they transact their life as an operational force which molds their being. Their sense of capacity. Even their validity.

And what does that mean? 
 

We tend to think of Libra as the sign about the other. But it isn’t really that. You have Libra somewhere in your natal chart and wherever Libra falls that’s where whatever you do and whatever (whoever) you are CREATES the reaction you get from others.

A friend of mine told me the other day that he’d been talking to a psychologist who imparted a savvy piece of information he was very appreciative of. We never control others – we only control ourselves, the psychologist told him.

And that’s true. Unfortunately since psychology isn’t metaphysical, that statement is only half of the very important (and powerful) truth which Pluto in Libra embodies like nobody's business. So let's try this statement again with its metaphysical compliment (after all, for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction, and that applies to the metaphysics of human operations).

We never control others – we only control ourselves. Therefore to cause a shift in how the world (including others) responds to us, what we have to do is change who we are, what we do, how we do it and who we are doing it with, or for.

That’s the Libra premise…and that’s the secret of Gen X, although there is a bit more to it when you get down to the zodiacal (Libra/Aries) polarity. Where Gen X people recognize that the success or failure of any given effort or venture or conversation or relationship is about who they are being with the Other and whether that Other is indeed their Libra “equal.”

And that implies that you have to pay attention to the old saw 'what we put out comes back to us' as the key and the understanding that who we are is the key to who we will attract and how successful (or unsuccessful) we will be in that process of relating or relationship process. Commonly known in metaphysical circles as ‘like attracts like’ this one simple idea is Pluto in Libra in spades. So where Gen X people ‘do it right’ or addressing their true Libra equals or the right “audience,” they do splendidly providing they are bringing their valid and verifiable Self to the party. But when they just try and fit in, or where they insist on doing it their way instead of the right way…where they are not being true to their Aries concept of Self or where they refuse (Pluto being in Libra) to deal with that Self in all its glorious and vulnerable shades of dark and light, positive and negative, strong and weak - all that - things don’t work quite so well.

Okay…let’s be more exact here...where they ignore the Aries reality of Self, things suck. Pluto in Libra can be the tendency to get walked on and its natives get walked on exactly to the degree that they don't own their Self and thus attract others equally un-invested in their Self. In fact, given a choice, the Pluto in Libra person who has not chosen to own or invest or grapple with their Self will opt to keep company and ally (Libra = alliances) themselves with other people who are equally unrealized, equally lacking in internal alignment and equally likely to melt like chocolate bars under a hot sun rather than choose someone to grow with.

Of course, there are moments in the Pluto in Libra life when these uber-talented natives realize they need mentoring. Or when they recognize that their innate nature makes them someone who is virtually 'made' to play a supporting role to someone else - such as the soldier to their commanding general, the secretary to their boss, the whatever to whomever.

In that case, to the extent that the Pluto in Libra person owns their own identity, they will tend to attract others who own their identity in equal measure. This is an important concept because when Gen X people simply 'give in and give up' that ceding of personal power will only attract an Other who will use that power for them.

Or against them.

And that would be likely...why? That would be likely because Pluto IS the outcome ruler of Scorpio no matter where we see it placed (natally or by transit). And when Scorpio gets into its 'weakness' mode, that invites tyranny.  

Thus the whole swath of Pluto in Libra subjects - the branding to the networking to the wanting to be ‘part of my group’ thing is rife with Gen X challenges. It just  sometimes doesn’t work. And when it doesn't work, or when it's a manifestation of 'checking out' that's a sign of Gen X trouble.

Gen X is all about the development of the Self which is then 'tested' and 'perfected' against an Other. But the dynamic is always Libra/Aries - it's always about the Self. I know Gen X’ers who blatantly don’t do well fitting in, and yet they loathe the whole idea of standing out – a curious quality for a generation all about “names” and celebrity images and molding the image and being as beautiful as possible.

When Pluto moved into (and committed to its transit of) Capricorn back in late 2008, this put a whole lot of pressure on every Gen X’er around. Why? Because Pluto in Capricorn is the square to Pluto in Libra. Every Pluto placement gets to its 'square point' and we happen to (at the moment) be in Gen X's. And while all squares are about balancing and synthesizing our efforts (and/or keeping things in sync) in this case the earthy quality of Capricorn and the fact that Capricorn and Libra are both cardinal signs has made things squirrelly.

Earth plus air equals a challenge to understand the reality of life under any circumstance. And since we’re talking about two cardinal ‘just do it (and exult or take your lumps later)’ signs, this has resulted in many a misstep and shattered psyche. Of course we’ve seen a number of ‘stroke of luck’ cases and right-place-right-time sort of stories.

As Pluto came within orb of fixed star (nebula) Facies back in 2010, things got complicated. For Gen X, this has meant a lot of puzzle pieces…some of which seem to have a mind of their own. For some this meant just a lot of life factors needing juggling. For others, aims and goals became convoluted and difficult to sort through or keep on track.

Here in 2013, Pluto has come within orb of fixed star Vega, signature of charisma. Pluto will actually conjunct Vega starting in 2015, and at that point a lot of Gen X’ers are going to succeed – and some will recognize that what they have been so fervently aimed as is not worth chasing.

And let’s not forget Uranus and Neptune. Uranus ‘flirted’ with moving into Aries during May, June, July and early August of 2010. But it wasn’t until 2011 that Uranus and Neptune shifted signs: Uranus moved into Aries and Neptune entered Pisces. The ‘whole sign’ inconjunct from Neptune to Gen X’s Pluto in Libra plus Uranus opposition from Aries is the signature of many a shakeup which has (and will continue to happen) in the lives of Gen X’ers who are on the wrong track but refusing to change.

And let’s not forget…in transiting Aries, Uranus is saying to the whole of Gen X that they should not be ‘married’ to their perspective. Whatever they learn through others which changes or shapes their lives, it’s likely to produce unusual answers. Odd realizations. A need to find one’s way out of the box.

If there’s a solution for Uranian energy, it’s flexibility. And even that sometimes doesn’t work. In Uranus transiting Aries we have the opposition of Uranus to the natal Pluto of Gen X as a generation.

Maybe the times are changing…maybe they’re not. But in the short and long run Gen X people are going to learn a lot of lessons about individuation, about being an individual and what the balance really is (or should be) between the Self and Other.

The front end of this generation (those born closer to 1971-1972) are nearing 40. That means they’re moving into and through the classic ‘mid life crisis’ transits. At the other end of the tribe, the younger Gen X’ers are just coming out of their first Saturn returns.

One of the many nebula on the edge of Sagittarius as photographed by

WISE - the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

(photo credit: NASA Caltech, April 2010)

Either way, as they flex, as they accept that some of the standards or ideas or images they have long held dear are not applicable or not possible or plain old not worth the effort, members of the Gen X tribe will be facing now just who they are to-with others, and not just who those others are, but who they are.

This is one of those occasions when I wish I had an astro-Hallmark sympathy card.'

Then again, I don’t have the address of every Gen X’er in the world. So I’ll just say it here: to all you wonderful Gen X folks - my very best wishes for good luck in understanding yourself through others. For the next few years what you do, how you do it, who you do it with and why you do anything is going to be in for an update. And that means people...situations...events...puzzles and quandaries will test your ability to understand the difference between who you really are and what you might think is really 'good' to be. 

By the end of this time, more of you in your generation  will be focused on who they can be instead of how it looks or trying to 'look the part' while working who they're with or whether anyone else cares.

In the end, you who are Gen X are supposed to learn your own worth through the worth of others. The temptation, the 'need' to be 'like' some image or 'pre-approved' notion will sometimes fit...and then again, sometimes it will merely lead you astray until something which seems strange to you wanders across your path, daring you to know who you really are.

The only real question - and the one which Pluto in Libra truly asks - is whether you will be willing to be and become yourself with joy equal to that you have shown in following the 'idea of the thing.' In some measure, in some way, some of your changes will be tough - mostly because you're going to have to dare to be different...which is to say, yourself - that unique person you are.

But if you just try letting go of the ‘what someone else says/thinks is good’ and go the route of living for your Self and who you really are, chances are, you'll like doing and being that...and you'll like yourself better for being the genuine You.

And magically...so will others.

There's a vast difference between the 'like' of pals or social networking and the gut level liking which grows out of respect for who you are. The great and accomplished of your generation are all people who have followed their essence. In being who they were, they have been able to reach out and be heard.

No, transformation isn't easy. Letting go of habits and looking at the truths of who we really are can be downright scary, especially when most of the people you know are busy ignoring the obvious truth of life - that we are who we are.

To be satisfied being who you are while living a Gen X life is to understand that satisfaction lies in purity of Self and finding those who truly correspond with your mind, your spirit and your splendid humor of soul.

The good news is this: once you go there, all becomes obvious...and much, much easier.
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Chart USA: Saturn as National Teacher

  The United States' Capitol Dome in Washington, DC

(photo credit: Mary Ann Reitano, 2008)

After listening to the Congressional bollox this week, it occurred to me that it was time to catch up with the celestial doings when it comes to Chart USA.

Chart USA (the Appomattox Surrender chart)

April 9 1865  - 3:53 p.m. (LMT +5:15) - Appomattox VA

The chart is dated April 9, 1865 and is specifically timed for Appomattox, Virginia. The ins and outs of why this is can be found in a whole series of posts on the US Chart which can be linked to in the 'corporate and political posts' list in the sidebar.

For those who don’t need those details, let’s hit the high points on what’s going on. (Or the low points, if you prefer.)

October 2012 saw Saturn move into Scorpio. This was the month of all the political debates and, if you remember, a general heightening of everyone’s concerns about who was going to win the election. Prior to October, things were merely partisan. As of October, people really got focused, which fits with Saturn having moved from the theoretical ‘let’s talk about it’ airiness of Libra into the ‘hey, this is really important’ water sign emotionality of Scorpio.

The North Node of Chart USA is at 0 Scorpio 01. That’s a degree which is about bedrock qualities and choices which have the potential for much good or much destruction.

The Congressional moment which got my attention this afternoon – that of Congress picking up its toys and going home for Christmas with the nation’s fiscal issues still unsolved – comes as Uranus as gone direct and Saturn (reality) has just crossed over the nation’s Industria in the 2nd house of values and money.

Anyone who listens to politics – or who has listened to the news for the past week knows that the United States is heart-deep in discussions about gun control, mental health…and in general, the values of Americans as people. As a symbol, Saturn is about structural growth which as often manifests as useful rules and limits as it does with walls and refusals to consider anything but that which suits your needs. In the 2nd house of the national chart it speaks to the national coffers as well as the vital question of what do the people expect of their government. The 2nd house of this chart being ‘colored’ by Libra, the give-and-take of negotiation is a value to be held by the US government and which the people will always grade its government on.

Oh yes – the natal Saturn in this chart is at 27 Libra. That means the nation experienced a Saturn return rather recently – back on September 13th, to be exact. Saturn’s orbit being 29.46 years long, this means that the (2nd house) values and (Saturn) rules which came into play early in 1983 are over.

1983 was during the Reagan era. What the Saturn return tells us is that the US has learned the lessons which began back then. The nation is ready to - and needs to move on.

Saturn will come back to the degree of this Industria next September. What we have therefore seen is the opening round of a year when we are going to see a lot of hard choices and changes being put into the works.

And being resisted.

And getting torn down, torn apart and getting rejected.

A lot which was, will now end. A lot which needs to be built will be taken on. Saturn periods are not known for being kind or carefree. Often the bad news gets delivered in such a manner that the thing you have been avoiding or postponing taking on becomes the imperative which hits you in the face.

A lot of people don't like Saturn because they think life is about the reward and not the work which earns the reward. Saturn times teach us otherwise. 

Since you know I’m all about eclipses, November’s solar eclipse at 21 Scorpio opposed the national Venus (at 24 Taurus) in the 9th house of foreigners, education, law/legalities, religion, medicine and media. Since Venus is conjunct Algol (emotional reactivity) and Deucalion (finding the moral path) it’s not surprising to see things evolving as they are, touching on all these subjects from the perspective of the eclipse conjuncting Sisyphus and Child – the choice to do something back because you are childish or to children.

Pluto is moving through the 4th house of the people (and real estate). With the 4th also being the traditional house of families, habits, cultural values (traditions) and ‘setting the course’ this is a time when we would expect the US citizenry to be going through a lot of self-questioning changes with regards to who they are as a people…and what they really value. Pluto has been conjuncting Facies for everyone, of course…but in this chart Facies is at 6 Capricorn (fixed stars do move!) and thus Pluto ‘turned’ on Facies during that evidently fateful September period then came forward across Europa (getting carried away) and Niobe (pride goeth before the fall) at 7 Capricorn…and by February will be hitting Kallisto.

So as a people and as a people who are supposed to be in an ongoing partnership with their government, the US as a nation – politicians and citizens alike – are now moving between having realized where we have failed utterly and what really caring as a nation means.

The conjunction to Kallisto spans 2013 to 2014 and will see the US (and its citizens) struggling with what caring really means. The priorities of the nation at home and abroad will be looked at. The priorities about what resources should be put to and whether the US is a nation of individuals or a nation and national ‘family’ of sorts will be debated and thought through. Kallisto’s story is one which requires that you face the ‘bear’ you have been or acted like to others and survive through accepting that you have acted less like a person and more like an animal.

(Don’t look at me…I don’t write these myths, I just report on them!)

It’s worth noting that the Neptune of this chart sits at 8 Aries, too. Uranus will conjunct this point during 2013 and in doing so, create an opposition to 8 Libra, a degree known for loss.

Given the length of this transit, the fact that Neptune is involved and that we’re going to be experiencing a series of solar eclipses in Taurus and Scorpio which are going to hit several other Chart USA planets, it’s likely that some very bad things are going to be seen, learned and found out before things get straightened out….which should happen somewhere around 2017.

I did also look at the chart of the GOP, seeing as it was the Republican-led House of Representatives which led the exit from Washington today.

The Republican Party

March 20, 1854 - noon (LMT +5:55) - Ripon, WI

The thing which seems striking about this chart (which deserves a full discussion of its own) is that Neptune is currently in the process of ‘dissolving’ the GOP’s Venus…and from there will move on to working over the party’s Eris. With this Venus involved in a grand square which includes the nodes of this Chart GOP, we can expect there to be a lot of strain on the party's relationships individual and public.

It’s been about 150 years or so since the Civil War and Lincoln as the Republican President of the country. That’s about half a Deucalion cycle – Deucalion being the symbol of ‘finding the moral path.’ Today the US has a black President whose powerful ability with oratory makes him sometimes seem like a modern Lincoln.

The nation is struggling with what it has been and what it wants to be. Ten years from now the GOP will be a substantially different party and the US will be set on a new course.

 The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC

The day I went to see this statue I was in so much pain I probably should have been in a hospital. 
But I wasn't. All I remember is wanting to walk up those steps and see Lincoln for myself.
By the time I got there, I was in such terrible pain that some kindly tourist came to help me
up the steps. I was so moved...I just stood there and cried.     

(photo credit: Erich Robert Joli Weber, June 2012)

But in the interim, there is bound to be some pain. When it began, the Civil War was a war of economics which involved the very vital question of what being ‘human’ means, and what rights – and responsibilities – go along with being human.

Those same questions seem to be coming around again. Back then, the nation and its people went through hating each other because it seemed some people cared more about human dignity than economics. Then, as now, it was the rich who protested and the poor who went on working.

I doubt the Republicans are going to cede (even if Texas has toyed with the idea).

I’m also not surprised to know the nation is going through its Saturn return...and that such a time in the history of the United States would be filled with tests and needs and pain and challenges galore.

We are also told that if we accept the hard work Saturn brings, if we will put ourselves through the course of living up to our own very best standards, we will come out the better for it, too.
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Libya’s Turmoil

 Um el Maa Oasis

photo credit: Michael Diederich (November 2005)

There are at lot of charts for Libya. For centuries it’s been ruled by treaty, partitioned by war and overrun by invaders. Not meaning this to sound cavalier, if your nation has been a power in the Mediterranean region north, south, east or west, its likely that at some point in history your nation has been in charge of the area we know today as Libya.

That nation – that collective/collected territory seem to have its roots in a peace treaty struck between the Allies and Italy which, as of February 10, 1947 has Italy relinquishing its command of Libyan lands.

February 10, 1947 - Italy relinquishes all control of Libya

in a treaty with the Allies (Tripoli)

This chart, in many a way – describes Libya as a nation as one which arose out of war (WWII) and which in that metaphysical formulation is created replete with the  groundwork for the Libya we know today, a Libya which is now painfully showing us its 'wartime-like' roots.

This concept starts with a chart which has 23 Libra on the 6th house of national health, work and service. Not only that, but this Libra 6th house contains the whole of the sign of Scorpio. Known as an interception, this ‘sign wholly encapsulated by a house’ is Scorpio. And in this intercepted pool of captive Scorpio energy is Chiron conjunct Niobe/Klotho and Jupiter conjunct Charybdis, Panacea and Eros/Hera.

The 6th house of any national chart is the nation’s ‘health’ as a nation plus its health care system, the general health of its people and the ‘health’ of its civil service and infrastructure, replete with whatever efforts are made to maintain the country in working order.

Modern Tripoli - Shari al Coiche

photo credit: Jaw101ie (June 2009)

A national 6th house also pictures the civil service, those who work to create or keep up the national infrastructure and – probably important here – the military.

One of Scorpio’s aspects is about death, conception and resurrection – hence the idea of the Phoenix being associated with Scorpio. So to have Scorpio intercepted in the 6th speaks of the war through which Libya was created, the warriors which created it and as a means of foreshadowing, the military man who would come to rule it.

The ruler of Libra (the sign on the cusp of this 6th house) is Venus. The Venus of this chart is in the 8th house of power, control, sex and joint finances – which in a national chart would be more like the nation’s use of credit and debt and/or what it uses money for.

Venus as a concept is about bringing things into being.

 We often think of Venus as the beauty of Aphrodite which inspires results. But the reality of Venus is more about what you earn, you have, what you have, you get to use as a resource. 

Which yes, would be why the concept of beauty is that ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it!’ Of course that does sort of ignore how much work often goes into being that casually beautiful…

…But that’s another blog.

My point here is that the Venus of this chart is in the administrative/governing sign of Capricorn - is conjunct calculated Lilith. Calculated Lilith is either what we deny about our society or what our society denies (“refuses to know or acknowledge”) about us. And with this pair conjunct Scylla, there’s a whole stubbornness about this, plus a “whirlpool” effect – the ability to get ‘sucked in.’

In the 8th, this could easily be seen as Italy being…uh… ‘cajoled’ by the Allies into surrendering Libya. I mean, who thinks Italy woke up one morning saying ‘I want to set Libya free!!!’

 The ancient rock art of Tadrart Acacus bears mute testimony to

Libya's past as an area which was once far wetter - a land of

savannas which would have supported large animals like giraffes.

photo credit: Roberto D'Angelo (December 2005)

I don’t know about you, but WWII doesn’t strike me as a war which inspired such moods. As if any war does?

But moving on. In some houses (such as the 12th) Venus can indicate a free flow of creativity, no question. In the 8th however, it tends to be very controlling. And since it rules that 6th house (replete with its ‘impounded’ military) there’s the whole sense of ‘mandate’ to be associated with this Venus-Lilith-Scylla in the 8th. And that metaphysical essence would not only be part of Libya coming to be, but in what it is as it starts out.

No, not exactly what you would call a liberal start to national identity.

But we could go very ‘maybe yes, maybe no’ on whether this was going to be good or bad for the new nation…until we see how this 8th house is ruled by the Scorpio Jupiter intercepted in the 6th house.

It’s a closed circuit which turns itself a bit inside-out, right? The sign on the 6th is ruled by a Venus in the 8th with the 8th house ruled by a Jupiter which is intercepted in the 6th.

This ‘inescapable’ quality is what tips us off that the nation is not only controlled (Scorpio and 8th house) into being, but that the factor which goes into and comes out of this incarnating of the Libyan nation is a controlling (Scorpio) and probably charismatic (Scorpio/Jupiter) member of the military (6th house).

And no, I don’t know who negotiated for the Allies in WWII, but there’s no question but that Gaddafi – the man who will end of seizing and wielding Libyan power and power over Libya – he was widely known to have been a dashing, charismatic military presence when he took power.

Of course there is the other side of this Venus-Lilith-Scylla thing…that whoever would take power would do so without paying all that much attention to the people. And the people, in reality, would not be really honest with themselves about who this leader is.

If we had any doubt about this descriptor-description, we would look to the ruler of the Venus-Lilith-Scylla in Capricorn. That would be Saturn, which positioned in the 3rd house is in Leo.

Saturn in Leo is notorious for having…well, let’s just say a bit of an issue with arrogance. In the 3rd house of mentality and communiqués it’s a rather brilliant image of a nation created through treaty: you WILL give up these lands…they WILL become a country. On the other hand, this would also tend towards a country where those in charge would want (demand) to be right, and one prone to wanting to  dictate to others – including other governments. Making this all a little less comfortable is the idea that this Saturn is conjunct Eurydike and Atropos, making the newly freed Libya a place where the cost one is made to pay (Eurydike) equals and ‘end’ or ‘loss’ (Atropos) where the Saturn dictate is not adhered to.

Tripoli's 'Old Town'

photo credit: Franzfoto (November 2010)

At the risk of sounding a little like that old song about the leg bone connecting to the hip bone and the hip bone connecting to…. to have such a Leo Saturn-Atropos-Eurydike disposing the 8th house Venus (plus stubborn Scylla plus societal denying/disliking calculated Lilith) which in turn rules a 6th house with Scorpio intercepted therein replete with Jupiter…that seems to be the basis upon which the Libya we hear of today – a country ‘formulated’ less as a ‘nation’ as most conceive of it than a  hierarchal-tribal rule, leaving it apt to being not only run by a “strong-man” figure who comes to power through the 6th house military but who grows up thinking of this as the way the world should be run.

Children tend to formulate a good deal of their ‘view’ of the world between Jupiter’s first opposition (at about age 6)/Saturn’s first quarter cycle (approximately age seven) and the end of Jupiter’s first round (11.86 years), which is just shy of Saturn’s first opposition at about age 14.

Muammar Gaddafi was born in 1942. He would have thus been 5 when Italy relinquished its hold on Libya, and he would have been 9 when the Kingdom of Libya came into being on December 24, 1951.

 Kingdom of Libya: December 24, 1951 (Tripoli)

For a country to change charts, we would expect there to be some indicator on the original chart – in this case, the Independence (from Italy) chart. And indeed there is. Libya becomes the Kingdom of Libya as Pluto is opposing the Sun of the Independence chart – a challenge which comes from the 4th house of the populace and nationalism.

Interestingly, this is also what we saw with Egypt – as Pluto moved across the IC into the 4th house of culture, homeland, national population and tradition, Egypt changed. We see the same thing here. The new chart has Pluto at 21 Leo – the ‘exiting’ of the total opposition to the 20 Aquarius Sun of the Independence chart. This is Pluto picturing emergence…and in essence, the repercussions of transformation.

(LINK to the first of the blogs on Egypt. There are others linked in the sidebar Corporate, National and/or Political Kind section.)

In the Independence chart, shape shifter Haumea is at 18 Leo; Deucalion (finding the moral path) is at 22 Leo. Pluto runs over Haumea and ‘the shape of things’ begins to shift/change. Libya becomes a kingdom and then Pluto conjuncts Deucalion.

Considering that Pluto creates, denies or destroys, this is an interesting signal. Like as not, all three forms of this dynamic were felt in the new, young kingdom. But to fast forward to today, it would seem that the transformation into a kingdom which came to be ruled by Gaddafi ultimately denied the morality of the people and represents a ‘kingdom-format’ (as opposed to some other form of national governance such as a democracy) a format which is unlikely to work for Libya in the sense of giving the Libyan people their moral rights as a people.

That this is a negative and not positive call here is actually underscored by the idea that the Sun of the Kingdom chart is conjunct the Black Moon (calculated) Lilith of the Independence chart. Today we hear a Libyan people saying – if nothing else – that their kingdom’s ruler (Gaddafi as monarch) has ignored them and denied them their rights.

By this chart, their Independence would be denied. And since like all astrological signals this one swings both ways, the uprising of the Libyan people suggests some pretty serious consequences (a “dire” outcome) for Gaddafi. Black Moon Lilith can certainly represent a society or social standard which we want to ignore – but it can also represent the society or social forces coming to ignore everything about us. Considering that this statement is being made via the Black Moon of the Independence chart which is in the 8th house, the acts and attitude being displayed by Gaddafi towards his people (having them shot in the street) is absolutely 8th house.

Snow in Al Bayda, Libya

But as he has turned on his people, so also does this Kingdom Sun conjunct Independence 8th house Black Moon also says everything can be turned against him. Like attracts like…what we put out will come back to us. This is always true – and doubly potent when the symbols are 8th house oriented, which is to say either posed in the 8th house or in Scorpio.

As for the Kingdom chart as a whole, with Juno-Chiron-Sun conjunct in the 10th in Capricorn accompanied by Edisona, Medusa and Scylla, there is both a need to be strong and a likelihood that rulers of this Kingdom are going to be overly strong. Juno/Sun in Capricorn is the need and existence of dominant leadership – adding Chiron means one finds their own way in the doing of it, which in this case led to strength in Capricorn commerce (Edisona would be the ‘new idea’ which helped the country along) but Medusa/Scylla is a fearful stubbornness and ability to swallow others up which has been activated now as transiting Pluto is rolling over all these positions.

But why would Libyans explode now instead of continuing to tolerate their life? As viewers in a big world of events, we can easily say ‘that’s what’s going on in the Middle East – the turmoil is spreading.’ Yet astrologically, that doesn’t work – charts are more like data: they don’t react to external “feelings” or a world ‘mood.’

Instead, what we have is (let’s say it all together!) the January 4th Solar Eclipse at 13 Capricorn – an eclipse which occurring in Capricorn is easily ‘about’ government and commerce and what governments are doing with money and about commerce (their own and otherwise) …and this is an emotionally evocative degree.

In the Kingdom’s chart, this eclipse occurs virtually atop the Part of Fortune – Fortuna, as she is known. It’s something the Kingdom needs to go through and needs to know it will need to resort to (if necessary) time and time again until/unless things function correctly. That last part – the ‘functioning correctly’ comes from this Part of Fortune appearing in the functional 11th house. And since the 11th is about income, the marketplace, societal gatherings and operations of a nation in the world and a nation’s people in the national marketplace, all that we see going on and all that we hear from the Libyan people about their lack of opportunity and what is/isn’t allowed is entirely on mark.

That this Part of Fortune is conjunct Kleopatra says the people and Gaddafi know what they are doing and that they ‘speak with or in many tongues.’ Also conjunct Icarus, this Part of Fortune stands for actions taken in a sudden, headstrong and precipitous manner.

Jabal Al Akdar - Cyreraica in Eastern Libya

Photo credit: Barghathi

But does this have to be fatal? We would hope not, yet with Damocles and Vega at 13 and 14 (which makes Damocles exactly conjunct the Part of Fortune) there are perils to be faced…and frankly, Damocles/Icarus/Vega would spell an eloquently spoken ‘plunge’ which yes, could end in death.

(LINK to article on Damocles)

And there is another little pair ‘o’ points to be considered here. One is the 12 Capricorn Part of Fortune being semi-sextile Pallas (wisdom) at 12 Aquarius, which is an ego-bruising don’t bother me which mostly/greatly flows from the top down in this kingdom society. The Pallas portion of this also underscores a lack of regard for education of the people and use of their wisdom.

But there is that other little issue…namely that this Part of Fortune is in EXACT opposition to Uranus, aka Uranus conjunct Sirius, Ye Old Dog Star which teaches that little things (and “little people”) matter – and that sometimes we need to stick our ego in a box and do what needs doing instead of humoring ourselves.

Given how this Uranus is in the 5th house this is the quintessential ‘who gets to do what they want’ versus ‘no, you can’t do what you want!’ sort of energetic which the January eclipse went and set off, sort of like a heat-sensitive explosive encased in ice and left out in the sun.

With this all said, there’s also a teaching in astrology called progressions which, particularly with national charts functions best with a regimented ‘year-as-degree’ of movement. From 1951 to 2011 is sixty years, which in astrological terms is sixty degrees, or a sextile – equaling opportunity.

And if the Lunar Nodes represent society as a whole (which they do!)…a sextile backwards (by sign, which is how the Nodes move) would take us from the North Node at 2 Pisces to progressed North Node at 2 Capricorn. And 2 Capricorn is right smack conjunct Edisona and right between the 3 Capricorn Juno and 1 Capricorn Sun ‘ruler’s image’ of this Kingdom chart.

Oh, a new thing would be a brewing now, yes.

Being that Neptune is as of posting at 28 Aquarius about to move thru intense Aquarius 29 into Pisces as of April 2011, we have an image of Neptune in opposition to the Kingdom’s Regulus/Deucalion. Deucalion again being about ‘finding the moral path’ the people are saying their ‘morality’ is about having it be moral for them to have opportunities in life, it here joins Regulus – the royal star which promises success if vengeance is avoided.

With this combination situated in the 6th house of civil service and (yes,) military, it’s a very bad astrological idea (never mind political or humanistic!) for for Gaddafi to allow any military (particularly his own!) to fire on his own people. That several Libyan fighter pilots flew to Malta and asked to defect when asked to fire on the Libyan people is the ‘up’ side of this opposition. Neptune is opposing from the 12th house – a very strong position for Neptune. Still in Aquarius, the people will feel for the people’s plight – this is not going to be one group of Libyans saying another is out of their mind for protesting.

Moreover, all of humanity is going to object.

 The ruins of an ancient Roman theater in today's city of Sabratha

photo credit: dumidog

But this isn’t going to be easy. When Neptune reaches Pisces, the first thing it will hit in this Kingdom chart is asteroid Lilith – the cost of what one has done. This may be Gaddafi’s end, it may be the cost of revolt being paid by a people, either in human or societal terms.

This is one of those charts we could talk about for hours – the Mercury in Sagittarius at the top of the chart gives us a government (a king of the land) prone to hard-headed pronouncements. With the Mercury ruled by Jupiter/Eris in Aries, there’s an aggrandizement of the rights of the monarch with the now-being-seen willingness to serve out discordant treatment of the people (injury to members of the populace). With House and Typhon conjunct this Jupiter-Eris, there’s a comfort (House as ‘being at home’) with primal acts (Typhon), which coming from a military man turned national leader surely suggests a willingness to resort to military tactics and killing.

Plus with that Jupiter/Eris in Aries, one would surely look at the Mars/Saturn/Ixion/Lust/Medea in the 7th house in Libra. This is a weakness to entitlement (Mars/Ixion), a strong-arming (Mars/Saturn), a focus on what you love (Lust/Medea) and a craving for what suits your will even if it in time brings your downfall (Saturn/Ixion/Lust/Medea).

And for those not yet convinced, there is a 5 Scorpio Moon in the 8th – a fusion of money and power in the house of life or death, control or agreement – another underscoring of the potential for selfishness or violence. Or for that matter, terrorism or the sponsoring of same in any way, shape or form. Yes, this could be a great position for a government which really works with a people who earn being worked with. But Moon in the 8th OR Moon in Scorpio tends to feel what it feels. Combined, that becomes more of a given.

The final coup de gras here? That this Moon is conjunct Hybris and Byblis….not a pretty triad! Hybris is an arrogance to think you can get away with something. But eventually, it does come back to haunt you. And Byblis is wanting to justify something which on the face of it, should not even be argued for. But there’s something about it (namely that you want so for it to be okay) which makes you try and justify your love for whatever your Byblis quotient is.

That Libya erupted after Saturn took its station and went retrograde atop Ixion, backing into Mars as the ignition point says a lot. It both ignites the pent up feelings of the people as portrayed in this chart and all the propensities for how the ruler of this Kingdom will act in return.

 A mosque in the city of Ghadames - a protected

UNESCO world heritage site

photo credit: Roberto D'Angelo

 

So where is Libya going? The June 2011 Solar Eclipse at 11 Gemini will be right between fixed star Aldebaran (integrity) at 9 Gemini and fixed star Rigel (the teacher – 16 Gemini) at the 16 Gemini IC/Nadir point of this chart.

Because this eclipse is conjunct the Nadir of the Kingdom chart it acts to sort of ‘blast’ the base out from under this chart – implying that there is either a ‘teaching of a lesson’ to the country or a ‘greater wisdom’ which undermines the foundation upon which this Kingdom chart has stood now for 60 years.

That number – 60 – is in astrological circles a fairly automatic reminder of Saturn, by the way. Given that Saturn takes 29.46 years to go once around the zodiac, that’s pretty darn close to 60 years when you double it. The Saturn of this Kingdom chart being at 14 Libra with Saturn in retrograde going from 17 Libra back to 10 Libra tells us that this time...these weeks...this is the Kingdom chart’s Saturn return. It's going on right now. It's in progress. And it won't be complete until August, 2011.

Put in prosaic terms, Saturn is a symbol which says what you earn, you shall reap. This Kingdom chart seems to have earned a bucket full of trouble!

But why would that be? After all, the first go ‘round of Saturn didn’t create that kind of trouble, right?

Well, right. But that first Saturn return didn’t happen in conjunction with a Solar Eclipse squaring Saturn.

This brings up something which is important to understand: in astrological terms, one big transit can indicate a problem or an advancement. But catastrophe or achieving something over-the-moon fabulous requires more than one indicator. Saturn returns are something like a “payout” …or when the bill comes due. Some people have really great Saturn returns!

But in a chart like this where we see Saturn (at 14 Libra) square the Part of Fortune and Uranus – this is Saturn sitting at the apex of a t-square. The challenge of a t-square is to get “past” the apex of the “t”, which generally represents something difficult in your own (ego) nature to put aside. If you can manage it, then you reach the ‘other side’ of the “t” and everything falls together.

In this instance, as Saturn came to its (second) return at/as the apex of the Kingdom t-square – this is when the Solar Eclipse hit the “destination” point – the Part of Fortune.

And what do Solar Eclipses do, class? That’s right – first they show up all the worst positives, then they ‘black out’ what quality.

We are now officially in the worst of the positives zone, and that Uranus is at the time of this uprising and Gaddafi’s threatening (ordering?) of a ‘bloodbath’ of government against its own people, Uranus is at 29 degrees of Pisces – the last degree of the zodiac. The uprising began with Uranus at 28 degrees – conjunct Athena (knowing, wisdom) and fixed star Scheat, a point famous for rejection of ideas. The people rejected the rule of the leader and the leader (Gaddafi) rejected the right of the people to reject him.

(Oh – and by the way…the full name of the Greek Goddess is Pallas Athena. Her name has been parted into an astronomical two-ism with one asteroid being named Athena (or Athene) and another rather important astrological asteroid being known as Pallas).

Unfortunately, the combination of these symbols in this national chart (as opposed to a personal chart) suggests this is not going to be a quick process Libya is going through. Not only will June’s Gemini Solar Eclipse hit the Nadir of this chart but July 2011’s Cancer Solar Eclipse will hit the 5th house cusp of the Kingdom chart, rousing the full expression of that Scorpio Moon/Hybris/Byblis in the 8th.

This is an awfully long post. As I started, my intention had been to continue on into a discussion of Gaddafi’s personal chart. Born June 7, 1942, Gaddafi has a Sun which at 15 Gemini falls right at the Rigel/Nadir of the Kingdom chart.

 Muammar al-Gaddafi

June 7, 1942, Sirt (aka Sirte or Surt), Libya

Aries Wheel (no time known) - no Moon shown

With that point about to be ‘eclipsed’ come June, that seems enough to say.

Besides, the future of Libya as a nation which is home to millions of people seems far more important than the fate of one man who seems to care not at all for the values of his people – or the world.