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.

November's New Moon: Raining, Reining, Reigning Emotions

 A Florida freshwater swamp 

photo credit: United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Tomorrow's New Moon occurs at 4:53 (UT) at 13 Scorpio.  Metaphysically, this is a moment where experience and choice meet, symbolizing a moment in which we can choose to decide not only what we're going to do, but how we will feel about ourselves as we go about doing it. 

There are those who will simply go through this moment saying 'I can't help it.' That's very Moon-in-Scorpio and this is a Scorpio New Moon. There is a strength of loneliness portrayed in this image which is about safeguarding the Self; whether that is out of pride, out of fear - or out of an understanding that each person not only has the right but the responsibility to decide for themselves - that's the basic question.

With TNO Huya conjunct Vesta and Echo just ahead, the question is what will we do, what can we do which in being useful in general (or to others), paves the way for us, our existence, our security, our taking that next step towards things we want to do and accomplish.

With Scorpio's first ruler being Mars, and Mars here being in Sagittarius conjunct Eros, our desires play a very large part here. Yet as indicated by Jupiter (ruler of Sagittarius) the real question is why we desire what we desire.

Those who understand this 'why' will do better than those who follow their cravings more blindly.

And the stakes? They seem particularly high at this moment, seeing as the outcome ruler of Scorpio (Pluto) is in Capricorn, conjunct Hel. Being that Pluto as Scorpio's outcome ruler is all about the emotions of elation or despair we experience as a result of what we've chosen to do (or stances we've chosen to take), this Pluto/Hel at 3 Capricorn tells us that we are now in position to use the New Moon symbolism of "beginnings" to move towards means, ends and interactions which will either heal our troubles or plunge us into a maelstrom (Hel) of our own actual making.

What separates plus from minus here? Mostly our ability to reign in our own point desires and personal point of view to the point that what we do becomes a 'rainmaking' event first and foremost in the lives of those around us and hopefully, farther afield.

And we need to have timing. And patience. That the Full Moon (the 'fruition' of this moment) happens just as Venus and Jupiter have both come out of retrograde - and that Venus will at that time be finally moving out of its 'standstill degree' (the symbolic 'taking a step forward')...that's when what we do - or at least decide to do now - begins to free us from whatever sludge we feel emotionally burdened by in this moment.

To have the New Moon positioned in an emotional degree of a sign (Scorpio) which the Moon is neither graceful nor gracious in tells us things feel particularly 'sticky' at the moment. We're touchy. Everybody's touchy. We're frustrated. We feel diminished in our natural power and easily put upon by life itself.

That's the challenge. And if we recognize that in each challenge lies the kernel of its solution, maybe we'll all do well. We cannot have what we want unless others get what they want too. This thus is a moment to think in terms of 'us' - the all-inclusive 'us,' regardless of preference or drive. What do we all share? What do we all need? 

 The Atchafalaya swamp basin

photo source: US Army Corps of Engineers

There's a good reason Scorpio is so often associated with swamps. Swamps can be stagnant and kill life - or be the most fertile environment on planet earth. Whether any swamp is one or the other is all about whether water (water being the metaphysical image of emotion) passes through the swamp fast enough and constant or consistently enough to keep the system fresh (not stale, not toxic) and well supplied with nutrients.

For us, this is about fear and resistance and hoarding. This is about locking people out or locking ourselves in. This is about being too strict or too lenient - yes, swamps can be ruined by floods as easily as they can sour and decay if sources and outlets get plugged up.

Those who understand this in terms of their own life, their own situations and their own question will, in dealing with the 'not enough' or the 'too much' or the 'nothing new' or the 'overly toxic', recognize how to solve their own problems...and from this moment, move towards new and better functioning solutions.

 

BP's Top Kill Attempt

BP announced that it's 'Top Kill' attempt began at 13:00 CDT today.

The chart for this event show fixed star Thuban and asteroid Echo at 7 Virgo, right behind the 8 Virgo Ascendant. Thuban's lore is all about difficult processes which have to be worked through. Echo is about 'echoing' what you've been told. 

The combination of these signals in Virgo's proactive first decanate (degrees 0 through 9) tells us that BP is doing (Ascendant) what they have been told will work (Thuban/Echo).

The foundation of this chart is represented as being 7 Sagittarius - another first decan point (therefore about "doing")...and a degree with an interesting lore as pertains to this attempt. Known as a degree which is 'quite' and 'materialistic' and capable of turning enemies into friends, perhaps the most important note about this degree is that it wants to be 'undisturbed' or 'left alone.'

Given that Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, we look to Jupiter in this chart - conjunct Uranus/Scheat (a combination which speaks either to nastiness or innovation) and asteroids Byblis (that 'long known') and Klotho (beginnings) the image seems to be that this is a lesson. BP will learn better about what it does - and like as not (given that Jupiter is in the 7th position of "the audience") the world is going to reconsider the true 'cost' of using oil. 


Is this really - astrologically - about oil? Yes. Oil as a substance is astrologically Piscean - the drilling part? That's Scorpio.

So here we have Uranus, Jupiter (et al) all in Pisces: the matter is clearly about the oil itself and oil as subject. Yet since all Piscean outcomes are Neptunian, we need to look at the Neptune in this chart.

And where is Neptune? Conjunct Athena and (calculated) Lilith (that we didn't want to look at) in the 6th house of employees. It's a cinch we don't know everything that's going on - nor are we ever likely to know all or exactly what actually took place. Or whether BP (Transocean, Halliburton, etc.) are going to find out who did what, or if they discipline anyone even if they do find out. 

At least not at this point. 

There is a whole section of astrological theory which is horary and rather 'progression-oriented' which astrologers routinely use for 'time-telling' when it comes to doing certain kinds of predictions. Using this chart, with the Moon at 20 Scorpio and Uranus (the "last" aspect to be made by said Moon) ... the trine between Moon and Uranus which is eventually to be struck says this is not so simple a problem as everyone is thinking, but it can be solved. At some point in the process signified by the number seven (hours? days? weeks? months? years?) there will be a turn in the process. One tick later (at "eight" after commencement of this process at 1pm CDT) information will surface. Then we'll get to the solution...and maybe a few more actual facts.

A note more on this sort of progressive/horary theory: all such 'time slots' often apply. So while it may be only hours (or maybe days or...) until we know whether this 'top kill' method works to seal the blowout, we can also expect to see repercussions (ecological, financial, legal, etc.) echoing off this event chart in terms of what it says about timing.

Last item for the moment...the Scorpio Moon of this chart is in the 3rd house of communications in a degree which is "public" by nature. But Scorpio as a sign is very controlling. Do we think we're getting the whole story? With this Moon ruling the South Node (the "easy way out") in the publicity/marketplace 11th house and conjunct charismatic dog-star Sirius, BP could probably do itself some long-term good by being totally open about everything going on. 

But will it?  

With Icarus (flights of fancy/reckless actions) conjunct Fomalhaut (dreams and intuitions) just under the 'here's what we're telling you' 7th house cusp with the rather domineering symbol of Hera (the overseeing wife) sitting atop said cusp, it's a pretty good bet we're not getting the whole story. 

Will update this blog saga as soon as something else happens...more soon! 

Minerals Management Service: Digging for Truth

Created by the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act (a name long enough to require refueling) the Minerals Management Service originally came into being on January 19, 1982 charged with three  basic and separate tasks.

One: to grant (or deny) leases to corporate interests wanting to plumb and create gain from various underground assets held by the United States government in trust for its people.

Two: to collect fees on such leases.

Three: to oversee those operating under such leases so that disasters like the current BP-Transocean-Halliburton oil blowout in the Gulf of Mexico don’t happen.

The oily trail of malfeasance here is wide and frankly, sticky. Back in September of 2008, scandalous stories began to surface, including one particularly feisty tale of drugs being snorted off toasters (another way to get toasted, one imagines) and members of the MMS being caught not just figuratively but literally in bed with employees of the oil companies (drillers, et al). Honcho-in-charge at that moment (one Earl E. Devaney) delivered several reports on what was termed “a culture of ethical failure” to a US Congress which responded with outrage.

Outrage - do you hear? OUTRAGE! But then did they DO anything about it? Apparently not much, as questions about ongoing problems with collecting all those pesky royalties continued. A few employees from the MMS were shed, but despite the recession they apparently found new employment rather soon.

And who hired them? The oil companies, riggers and all those folk. One wonders if they had to bring their own sheets and toasters – or only the bread and jam. 

Obviously, something’s not working here – including safeguards, employees, regulatory laws…and heaven only knows what else. But astrologically – why would this be?

In any given chart, the first place we look for information are to the two ‘lights’ (Sun and Moon) and the horizontal axis (Ascendant and Descendant) of the chart.

The Sun in this chart is at 29 Capricorn. Capricorn being the premier sign of structure, government and commerce is all well and good. Being at 29 degrees – the last degree of the sign? Known as ‘critical’ 29 degrees of any sign is where the sign can either push to ‘complete’ it’s job or totally lose control. How do you know one from the other? This being Capricorn (with a Capricorn Midheaven), the first place we would look to is Saturn, ruler of Capricorn – which in this chart is in Libra but intercepted in the 6th house.

In organizations, the 6th house tells us about the quality of work done and the employees. To have Saturn intercepted (without a “voice”) here is obviously really, really, very problematic. And lest we miss the point, the sign/degree on the cusp of this 6th house is 25 Virgo, a degree known for its ability to promise but well…maybe not deliver. And which looks the part, but doesn’t act the part – and which in this instance may have described a culture where unqualified people were hired for certain jobs.

Just to make this a little more taste-terrible (as if it needs to be), the ruler of Virgo is Mercury, and the Mercury of this chart is at 17 Aquarius (problems which go unnoticed) conjunct Medea – she of Greek Myth lore famous for her love so selfish it became her doom.

Dare we describe employee doings as the work of some slick operators? At the risk of downplaying the disastrous ecological side of current events, yes.

But management seems suspect as well. Whenever the Sun is conjunct another personal planet (Mercury, Mars, Moon or Venus) what’s indicated is a lack of perspective in that particular area – it’s rather like wanting to live it, not worry about it. There’s just too much focus on that thing to see how something else might be equally (or more) important. Spoken of in astrology as being ‘burned up’ (the Sun being obviously very fiery) here we have Venus (the symbol of making things concrete) in Aquarius, the sign of social systems, the marketplace, society and income. Whether this is taken to be that MMS management was so into the oil market, marketplace, oil companies, the well-heeled perks or the excitement of being wooed by lobbyists with wallets filled with fossil fuel money – whichever way you go here it’s plain MMS management became part of the oil pipeline it was supposed to be minding.

Further notes: standing with this 29 Capricorn Sun conjunct a 2 Aquarius Venus we have Mnemosyne (memory), and Atropos (cut-offs). In the sense of management, this astrological picture backs the idea that apart from what employees (qualified or otherwise) were doing, management wasn’t minding its own job. To have the term ‘memory’ and ‘cut off’ conjunct the MMS’s managerial Sun gives us a big ‘fuggeddaboudit’ …the astro-speak equivalent of a management which brushes aside records and proof of breach of conduct, rules, regulations, safety measures and financial commitments in both the running of the agency and granting oil leases. Sometimes charts will project this sort of image with a Pollyanna ‘they’ll do better this/next time’ note attached. Not in this case – the Venus at 2 Aquarius part says that management was for whatever reason willing to assume risk in the name of possible discoveries, networked connections and pure, hard cold profit – probably personal.

Undoubtedly everyone at the MMS will claim they were overwhelmed with and by their work (South Node conjunct Amphitrite and Atlantis deposed by Saturn). It is also likely that there is/was some sort of connection with matters of State – foreign influence, foreign competition, threats on the part of foreign entities…we will probably never know the most of it. And we shouldn’t think that every member of this agency went in to work each day rubbing their hands at the gleeful thought of how they could screw their fellow citizens and help increase world pollution in the process. They didn’t. The 8 Scorpio Jupiter just below the horizon in the 6th house opposition a 6 Taurus Sedna/Scheherazade just behind the Ascendant is the perfect picture of truly passionately intelligent who were all theory and no human reality. In other words, this agency was like as not greatly staffed by people of sufficient intellectual intelligence to fall prey to manipulation and the untrained or inexperienced depths of their own human nature.

Interesting also to note here is the ongoing debate and efforts towards moving towards use of alternative energy sources. As a national credo, President Bush signed The Energy Act of 2005 on August 8 of 2005, with Chiron (the thing which needs doing which no one feels they know how to do) at 29 Capricorn, exactly conjunct the MMS critical degree Sun giving us the picture which suggests that there was some understanding as the bill was being signed nobody really knew how to get the job done and that there would be reluctance to do anything about it until things got critical.

Also in this chart is Juno (protection of household) at 28 Taurus, one degree off trine to the 29 Capricorn Chiron (and the MMS Sun) and perhaps more importantly, only one degree off opposition to the powerful, stubborn and fearful 29 Scorpio Moon.

Scorpio problems often include fear – fear of change or fear being used as a means to drive or inhibit change. So is this a picture of a challenge to make a change or the challenge of interrupting a pipeline which pumps not just oil, but money and stability from country to country, in essence gluing international economies together? Many think of the Bush/Cheney administration as a presidency of ‘oil men.’ But whether or not that’s true, oil has also become a virtual modern currency, which makes any change to use of oil part of an immensely daunting challenge: that of weaning national economies around the world off oil and onto renewable, passive energy sources like wind, wave and solar. It’s not just about supply and demand of oil here – what happens if the world moves to a non-monetary-based source of energy? How do countries which hold a check and balance on each other by holding up supply or not paying off debt maintain a balance of monetary power if wind, waves and sunlight are providing all the energy we need?

Or perhaps even worse – all the energy only some of us need?

So did the Bush administration really dilly dally? Or in some behind-the-scenes conversation did they oppose conversion to renewable energy because it might possibly destabilize the world’s economy?

Apparently it was time for that test to be undertaken by society anyway, as with the 29 Cancer Solar Eclipse of July 2009 the world economy fell out of the sky. Cancer being the sign of real estate, it’s not surprising the central theme was that of mortgage derivatives. Opposing the Sun of the MMS chart, this event also ‘eclipsed’ a chain of symbols at the base of the MMS’s chart: the North Node at 22 Cancer conjunct the Nadir at 24 Cancer, Charybdis (do or die) at 26, Medusa (fearful or fear of knowledge) at 27 Cancer, Polyhymnia (blithe happiness) at 0 Leo and Orcus (dispassionate final judgment) at 2 Leo.

The North Node being what one should do, to have it at the Nadir speaks of a need to do the basics right, lest all you build atop that topple. In this case, that Cancer Nadir is ruled by the Scorpio Moon and since Scorpio is also the sign of joint/invested assets, this clearly points to big trouble in how the MMS is doing business to whatever extent its business is not being conducted in a totally squeaky clean (right – not oily!) above board sort of way.

Scorpio honors angels, but it tends to attract devils. And with a Moon at critical 29, those devils are likely to be really nasty, really secretive, and really, really hard to unearth and eradicate.

Well, until Uranus (transpersonal changes) gets into the act. Saturn (planet of commerce and regulation, remember?) happened to be retrograding back through 29 Virgo at the time of the Deepwater Horizon blowout. Retrogrades always representing ‘internal’ process, it’s not surprising to hear that all the companies involved (BP, Transocean, Halliburton) were in something of a dispute about what did or didn’t need to be done to get the well capped off safely.

There have been mentions of failing hydraulics, which astrologically would be Neptunian. That this is all happening in very deep water is also Neptunian. Recent reports have spoken of a number of ‘plugs’ which needed to be inserted into the well shaft – that’s structural (Saturn), as are mentions of broken seals. But nothing outranks the Saturn/Capricorn issue of management of the operation as a whole – and that’s an issue which plainly tracks back to the Minerals Management Service, which had a lot of paperwork detailing problems BP (in particular) has had over the years – problems which have cost millions if not billions of dollars, a number of lives and uncalculated costs in terms to damage to the environment and the lives of those who while not killed have been compromised by exposure to toxic chemicals. Oil, while a valuable commodity of our modern age, is plainly toxic.

So along came Saturn and the well blew out. Astrologically, had not Uranus been poised to also move into 29 degrees (this time in Pisces) the astrological picture would not have been as strongly negative for the MMS. But 29 Pisces is the position of fixed star Scheat – a star all about bad publicity. Thus metaphysics say that something was going to happen that was going to put the MMS in a bad light, seeing that we have the following chain of logic describing the placement of Scheat in the MMS


1.    25 Pisces is on the cusp of the 12th house of corporate (passive) income and possible/probable limitations thereof.

2.    Scheat opposes Scylla (monster of the deep)

3.    Jupiter, first ruler of Pisces is positioned in the 6th house of employees and responsibility at 8 Scorpio. Jupiter tends to ‘misbehave’ (act negatively) when in the 6th when not used purposefully for productive control/amelioration of situations. Scorpio is not only a sign of investment (in)/joint assets but compromise through ‘wanton control’ by others or situations.

4.    Neptune, ruler of the Pisces ‘outcome’ is in the 8th house of the MMS chart. When the MMS functions with proper oversight, this represents a proper and ‘rich/enriching’ flow of money into the agency (oil royalties). Because Neptune is in Sagittarius – a Jupiter ruled sign – the positive/negative  is determined by employees and proper efforts to oversee operations.

5.    The 6th house cusp (telling us the nature of the Jupiter) is at 25 Virgo, with Scylla at 24 Virgo. Virgo is ruled by Mercury and the Mercury in this chart is in the 10th (social standing – government – laws and regulations) in Aquarius (corporate income) conjunct Medea (self destructive adoration).


This is plainly a recipe for disaster which was metaphorically/metaphysically and ultimately realistically set off when the MMS allowed drilling ‘in the deep.’ The ironic comment here is that the Energy Act of 2005 (August 8, 2005) which emphasized/empowered the MMS to move into authorization/diversion of energy into wind, wave and solar power has Chiron at 29 Capricorn – exactly conjunct the MMS Sun.

Known colloquially as ‘the wounded healer,’ Chiron is the thing we need to do but which seems so ‘painful’ to do that we all tend to avoid it until we are forced to.

With Uranus at 29 degrees and oil spilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the sextile (opportunity) to this point suggests the MMS may get back on track. This won’t be instantaneous; we already know President Obama has called for an overhaul of the MMS, separating the obvious conflict of interest regarding granting leases versus collecting of royalties.

Equally important here however, is where overseeing of drilling operations occurs – which in this chart would be represented several ways – most of all by the North Node in Moon-ruled Cancer being within 2 degrees of the Nadir or the bottom of the chart, giving us a picture of drilling. Ruled by the critical Moon conjunct Uranus in the 7th, several things are noted clearly from the astrological point of view. Lease holders (whether they be after oil or coal or the conversion of wind, solar or anything else) must be separate as entities but not separated from the MMS in operation. For this agency, there is no such thing as hands off when it comes to OPERATIONS. Hand off the money (and the employees!) and hands on in operations. With caretaker of the harvest Ceres on the Descendant, this is an agency meant to control how others operate and the standards at which they operate. The standards must be for the US people (Cancer at the 4th is also the US population) and not for the corporations – that’s just self-serving convenience, and though it is probably well known within the MMS that certain people should go to prison for what they’ve done, with the Neptune/Jupiter set  up in this chart it’s doubtful anyone will.

The 29 Cancer solar eclipse of July 2009 set cosmic wheels in motion. Solar eclipses run over a period of three years and we never really know the true outcome until the transit period is nearly at its end. So for good and ill, we don’t know what’s going to happen yet. This eclipse set off the MMS Sun, the Midheaven (public reputation, goals) of this chart and its (employee/responsibility)Moon.

The Sun/Midheaven was hit again by the January 2010 solar eclipse at 25 Capricorn and the Nadir (the other end of the vertical “who I am in the world” axis of this chart will again be hit by the 19 Cancer, July 2010 solar eclipse. This is without question, enough energy to bring the MMS to a stunning halt of its current ways.

But we aren’t done yet. The solar eclipse of July 2011 hits the 2nd house of this chart (11 Gemini) exactly. And as it does so, it also opposes the calculated Lilith of this chart – a shadowy side of the MMS we don’t know anything about.

Yet. 

Stand by.





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