Autopsy of a bomb attempt

In a previous post we had a brief look into Claus Stauffenberg’s nativity and predictions for the time of the bomb attempt; let’s now study the day of the event, 20th July 1944. The bomb attempt took place inside the Wolfsschanze (Wolf’s Lair), Hitler’s military headquarters near Rastenburg, East Prussia (present day Poland).

From the astrological point of view, the day of the event is extremely interesting. The day started with a solar annular eclipse at 27º 22’ Cancer, which occurred at 7:43 AM, Berlin, local time. It falls very close to Hitler’s natal MC (1), which could be a sign of loss of power, but its effects are not strong enough to overthrow him, because it is not visible in Northern Europe.

Stauffenberg took a plane from Berlin to the Wolfsschanze, having arrived around 10 AM, to attend a military conference. In his briefcase he carried a bomb intended to kill Hitler. The device had a detonator that would take approximately ten minutes to activate the explosive. The conference started at 12:30 PM, some minutes before the Sun reached the MC; the Ascendant was 18º Libra, curiously enough, very close to Hitler’s Ascendant (2). A few minutes later Stauffenberg made an excuse to leave the conference, entered an empty room and armed the bomb. From that moment, he had ten minutes to place the bomb again inside the briefcase, re-enter the conference room, place the briefcase close to Hitler, in order to kill him, make another excuse to leave the room, and finally reach a safe distance to escape the explosion – a sequence of actions that only someone with nerves of steel could perform. In astrological terms, this ‘ten-minute window’ is exactly the time the Sun-Node conjunction takes to reach the MC. Claus Stauffenberg managed to do all this without raising suspicions, and then he waited at some distance, for he wanted to be sure that Hitler would die in the explosion.

The explosion: 20th July 1944, 12:42 PM (CEDT -2:00), Wolfsschanze (Wolf’s Lair), 54ºN04’46’’, 21ºE29’37’’, East Prussia (present-day Poland)

The bomb detonated at 12:42, right when the Sun-Node conjunction reached the MC. This configuration can easily be correlated with the concentrated power of a bomb and to its ‘public’ nature. It is quite appropriate that the conjunction occurs in a watery sign, because the bomb had a ‘liquid’ detonator (the detonating process was activated by the crushing of a copper tube and the consequent release of the acid contained within; it would take about ten minutes for the acid to corrode the metal blocking the firing pin to hit the percussion cap; once released, the pin would hit the cap and the bomb would explode).

The chart has 20° Libra rising and the ruler, Venus, is in fiery Leo, a feral sign, in the 10th house of public actions, suggesting a high profile and uncontrollable event. The Moon is also in the 10th, and applying to the conjunction of Venus which rules both the Ascendant and the 8th house of death.

The explosion destroyed the conference room and mortally wounded three officers and the stenographer; Hitler survived, having suffered only minor injuries. But outside the building, at a distance, Stauffenberg heard the explosion and assumed the Fuehrer was dead. He immediately decided to drive to Rastenburg airfield, and from there take the plane back to Berlin. During the trip to Rastenburg two major changes occurred in the astrological configurations. At 12:49 PM the Moon entered Leo; as the Moon rules the MC in the chart of the explosion it can be seen as the leader (Hitler) moving away from danger (combustion, the explosion); between them is the North Node, a benefic, which can be interpreted as a protection. Two minutes later, at 12:51 PM, the MC moved from Cancer to Leo; this also suggests a change of scene. These two occurred right after the detonation when the military managed to rescue Hitler (only slightly wounded, but considerably shaken) from the debris and move him into a more secure place – therefore we have the leader, signified by the Moon, moving away from the explosion (the Sun) and going into another room (new sign).

Stauffenberg’s aeroplane took about two hours to reach Berlin, and during that time the Ascendant changed from Libra to Scorpio (at 01:38). So now Mars rules the Ascendant and Venus rules the Descendant, which is the opposite of the chart of the explosion. This suggests a significant shift in the balance of power; it corresponds to the period when the Nazi leaders at Wolfsschanze regrouped for the counter-attack.

The plane landed in Berlin around 3 PM, and Stauffenberg immediately phoned to the Bendlerblock, the centre of the military resistance. He victoriously announced that Hitler was dead, but in turn was confronted with contradictory reports, saying that the Fuehrer had survived. By that time Mars, the ruler of the new Ascendant, is culminating, pointing to the rise of a new, aggressive power. From that moment on, the plot follows a hesitant and disruptive path, with some conspiritors implementing Operation Valkyrie in certain parts of the country, and others demanding a clear confirmation of Hitler’s death, and eventually changing sides; this lack of cohesion ultimately led to the failure of the plan.

By 7 PM the situation reached another critical point: Hitler had already recovered enough to talk on the telephone, confirming that he was alive. He ordered his troops to surround and seal off (but not to invade) the Bendlerblock, in order to regain control of the situation in Berlin. The corresponding astrological movement occurs in the MC, as it changes from Libra into Scorpio, (at 7:05 PM), thus placing Mars again in control.

Inside the Bendlerblock the situation had completely gone out of Stauffenberg’s control. He and three other conspiritors were rushed to the courtyard outside the Bendlerblock and executed by a firing squad at 00:10 AM of the 21st. The execution was hastily ordered by General Friedrich Fromm, which was intended to cover his participation in the plot (a vain effort, as he was exposed and executed a few months later).

The execution: 21st July 1944, 00:10 AM (CEDT -2:00), Berlin, Germany

At the moment of the execution, the Ascendant was at the beginning of Taurus, which is remarkable, because in the attempt chart this sign is on the 8th cusp. The situation set in motion by the bomb, is now coming to a conclusion; the possibility of death (the 8th cusp in the attempt chart) is now emerging (the Ascendant in the execution chart). In addition, all the planets that culminated by the time of the explosion are now in the 4th house, the lowest point of the chart, signifying the end of things.

The opportunity to overthrow Hitler was gone; he was to remain in power for another ten months, until his defeat by the Allied troops.

Helena Avelar

(1) Adolph Hitler’s chart was originally set for 18:30, according to the time given in his birth certificate, and it was later rectified for 17h58, by Wilhelm Wulff; in any case, the MC would vary between 04º Leo and 26º Cancer, therefore not very far from the eclipse.

(2) According to the time registered on his birth certificate, Hitler has 26º Libra Ascendant; Wulff’s rectification pointed to 20º Libra.

A close call with death

Last Sunday a 14 year old boy was seriously hurt by an electrical discharge on Faro’s Train Station in Algarve, Portugal. Apparently the boy was practicing a “sport” called parkour; when he went over one of the carriages of a parked train he was hit by an electrical discharge, which throw him on to the ground and burnt his clothes and body. He suffered 70% burns on his body and is now recovering in the hospital.

The incident occurred on 29th March at 20:10 at Faro, Algarve, Portugal.
This is the chart for the event:

The ruler of the Ascendant, representing the boy is in very bad condition: detrimented, retrograde, combust and falling from the angle. This not only indicates his serious injure but also describes the event itself. Venus also rules the 8th House, which brings serious danger and the possibility of death.
The boy was practicing an extreme sport, which requires great stamina and involves going through obstacles, something which falls under detrimented Venus in a fire sign; his behavior was reckless (Aries) as it is forbidden to go on top of the train carriages, and he placed himself in danger of death by his own actions (Venus rules both the 1st and the 8th houses).
The electrical discharge itself is signified by the combustion (burns and energy surge) of Venus in a sign of Mars (a hot and dry planet), and its conjunction to fixed star Algenib, of the nature of Mars and Mercury.

He probably escaped death due to the trine of Jupiter to the Ascendant. Venus is in its own term and in mixed mutual reception to Mars, which also helped.
The Moon is in the 8th, but exalted and void of course, it also receiving a square of Jupiter, which is elevated above her, so he survived.

Luís Ribeiro

Claus Stauffenberg: the man behind the hero

The Hollywood mega-production Valkyrie called the public’s attention to the failed attempt of 20th of July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and to one of its protagonists, Count Claus Stauffenberg.

The attempt was meant to trigger Operation Valkyrie, an emergency plan approved by Hitler and intended to come into force in the event of the Fuehrer´s death or physical incapacity. This plot was the last of a series of attempts of the German Resistance to overthrow the Nazi regime. Its uncovering, and the subsequent execution of thousands of suspects, ultimately destroyed the resistance movement in Germany. (learn more)

Although Stauffenberg had no previous personal contact with Hitler, his military rank and functions granted him direct access to the Fuehrer, as well as first-hand knowledge of all his schedules and itineraries; thus he became a key element in the plot.

The birthchart

Claus Stauffenberg was born on 15 November 1907 at 1:00 AM, Jettingen, Germany (source: Astrodatabank, quotes birth certificate in Astrolog).

Claus Stauffenberg’s chart has a predominantly Melancholic temperament, which is prone to solitude and caution, rigorous, spartan in his habits, and a bit withdrawn. These traits are further stressed by the Moon-Saturn conjunction which emphasises and distempers the Melancholic temperament by adding to it a depressive tone. He also has some Choleric traits, which confer on him energetic and imposing qualities; these are also distempered by the two Choleric afflictions of the lord of the Ascendant: the combustion and the square of Mars.

The Melancholic-Choleric combination enhances the dry quality of the temperament (1), thus conferring strong will and a distinct trace of harshness, which is further intensified by the distempered conditions of Mercury (combustion and square to Mars) and the Moon (conjunct to Saturn), often turning into an oscillating behaviour, alternating between periods of solitary introversion and sudden outbursts of impatience (2).

His significator of mentality is Mars, which is in Aquarius, denoting a stubborn mind, determined to have things its own way and at its own pace, not easy to persuade and prone to arguing (due to the square to Mercury). Venus participates with Mars and because it is angular and aspects    the Ascendant, it adds a more polite and agreeable demeanour.

He had a difficult temper, but in social situations he was able to control it, enhancing his better side and deflecting the more aggressive traits of his nature to his military career. He was very determined (due to the emphasis of the Dry quality) and persistent, able to go to extremes to accomplish what he thought to be correct.

His military vocation is shown by the exact square of Mercury, the main significator of vocation, to Mars, its dispositor; note that Mercury rules both the Ascendant and the MC and Mars is in its house of joy. They are therefore strong significators of military vocation. This is further enhanced by the conjunction of Aldebaran, a star of the nature of Mars, to the MC.

In this chart there are clear indications of violent death:

- the ruler of the Ascendant, Mercury, is afflicted by the ruler of the 8th house, Mars, which is in a human sign (3), which points to death by the hands of men;

- the main significators related to death in this chart are placed in violent signs (4): Mercury is in Scorpio, Mars in Aquarius and the 8th house cusp in Aries;

- both luminaries are afflicted by the malefics: the Sun (which is also in Scorpio) has a square to Mars and the Moon is conjunct to Saturn, also suggesting active enemies and possible violence.

The chart also presents several configurations which suggest difficulties and struggle:

- the ruler of the Ascendant is combust and retrograde, and the Sun, which combusts (subdues, obliterates) Mercury, is the ruler of the 12th house, thus bringing into play some hidden or uncontrollable factors (12th house) into his life;

- Mercury squares Jupiter, the ruler of the 7th house of enemies (posited in Leo, a feral sign, in the 12th of secrets and limitations);

- the Moon-Saturn partile conjunction in Pisces, a strong significator for enemies and opposition.

The bomb attempt

Let us now see how these configurations where activated by the time of plot. We will use Primary Directions, Profections and his Solar Return of 1943, which was still active by the time of the bomb attempt, 20th July 1944.

Stauffenberg’s directed Ascendant was at 9º Libra, conjoining the antiscium of his natal Moon-Saturn conjunction in the 7th house (5). This configuration is a ‘red flag’ by itself, as it activates the potential for strong opposors signified by the natal Moon-Saturn conjunction. The Moon is also quite probably the hyleg of this chart, thus having determination over life. Additionally, he was in a planetary period (firdaria) ruled by Mars and the Moon, which due to the significations of these planets in this chart, also reinforces the possibilities of life-threatening situations.

As if these testimonies were not worrying enough, the solar revolution chart presents striking signs of danger.

In the revolution chart we find the Moon, Mars and Saturn conjunct the Ascendant – a configuration which speaks for itself. The Moon and Saturn are significators of enemies in his natal chart, and are activated by the directed Ascendant; furthermore, Saturn is the ruler of the 8th in the revolution chart. As to Mars (6), it is the natal ruler of the natal 8th house. It is therefore a clear configuration of grave and immediate danger, with the possibility of death. The Ascendant and the planets are in Gemini, which in the natal chart corresponds to the 10th house of public image, which emphasises the visibility of the event. Therefore some dangerous (Mars) enemies (Moon-Saturn in the natal 7th) which would come to him in this period (conjunct the Ascendant in the revolution).

The ruler of the Ascendant in the revolution is Mercury, the same as in the natal chart, and again it is combust, only this time in the 6th house, a weak and debilitated place. It receives a square from Jupiter, which rules the 7th house of enemies both in the natal and in the revolution charts. He was in a weak position before his enemies and too debilitated to overcome them – as we can see clearly in the revolution chart.

Helena Avelar

Notes:

(1) As the Melancholic is Cold and Dry, and the Choleric, Hot and Dry.

(2) For a complete calculation on the Temperament refer to Luís Ribeiro’s article “Judging Temperament: a study of the method”, published in The Tradition journal, 1st and 2nd issues (Autumn 08).

(3) William Lilly, Christian Astrology, page 646: “human signs, denote death by a man, as by arms or violence”.

(4) The violent signs are: Aries, Scorpio, Capricorn, Aquarius and Libra, according to William Lilly, C.A. page 644. For the complete delineation for violent death refer to C.A. page 644, chapter CLVI (of death, whether violent or natural).

(5) This event helped the rectification of this chart; the original time given by Astrodatabank from the birth certificate was 01:00 AM, which corresponds to 10º32’ Virgo rising; the chart was rectified in 6 minutes, which changes the Ascendant into 11º38’ Virgo rising.

(6) To be precise: Mars is in the 12th house, as it does not comply to the 5 degree rule, but its orb still reaches the Ascendant and it is conjunct the Moon and Saturn, which are conjunct to the Ascendant.

Lulin’s effects – follow-up

In the current issue (Spring 2009) of The Tradition journal is Luís’ the article  “Comet Lulin: nasty little green thing”. This post is an addendum to that article.

The African country of Guinea-Bissau was shaken to its foundations last week, when two of its leaders – João Bernando ‘Nino’ Vieira, the country’s president, and General Batista Tagmé Na Waié, his political rival – were brutally murdered. Both men died within a short period of time. General Waié was assassinated on 1st of March late at night when a bomb exploded in his office; president Vieira met a violent end a few hours later when armed men invaded his house and hacked him to death with machetes. Besides the obvious political motivation of these murders, there is also an underlying motive of personal revenge, as the two men were long-term rivals. (more details here)

This violent crime can be linked directly to the comet’s traditional significations which are: “death of kings and Grandees, Nobles such as chief rulers”, as mentioned in the article published in The Tradition journal. It was also pointed that: “a comet in Scorpio indicates ‘abundance of war and rebellion’, ‘detriment and damage to soldiers’, ‘contemptions among great men’, ‘death of some eminent men’. (…) Its effects should be noticeable quite quickly because it is oriental of the Sun.”

In this case the “contention” between two powerful men ended with the assassination of one of them, the top military chief, General Waié, and the subsequent revenge taken by his soldiers on his rival, President Nino Vieira. This fits the description of the comet’s significations accurately.

The article also referred to areas where its effects might be felt:

“Its declination ranged from approximately 15ºS to 18ºN, thus in geographical terms its effects will have more emphasis on the equatorial and tropical areas of the planet which have around the same value of latitude. This would suggest Africa (particularly the North) as the place where its effects will be felt most strongly and because that is an area ruled by Scorpio and the rest of the Water triplicity.” As comet Lulin was first spotted in this sign, it is no wonder that its effects were felt in this area of the globe. As we can see on the map, Guinea-Bissau is situated just south of Mauritania, and therefore in an area ruled by Scorpio according to Ptolemy and with a range of latitudes between 11ºN and 12ºN40’.

The comet’s path, during its period of visibility, period crossed the Zodiac from Scorpio to Leo and on the day of the murders it was moving away from a conjunction of Regulus, a star usually related to kings and chiefs.

Let’s now take a quick look to the event chart. According to diplomatic sources quoted on the news, the murder of President Vieira, occurred on the 2nd March at around 5:30 AM:

The human sign of Aquarius rises, and its ruler Saturn is placed in the house of death in the human sign of Virgo. Mercury, ruler of the 8th house, is on the 1st in exact conjunction with Mars, showing a violent death by “human hands” (see William Lilly, Christian Astrology, p.646: “Humaine Signes, denote death by a Man, as by Armes or Violence”), in this case by soldiers (Mars). Mars also signifies the President (as ruler of the MC/10th house) meeting his death, because Mercury is the ruler of the 8th house from the 10th.

The Mercury-Mars conjunction seems to be the key element in this event, and the nature of the comet Lulin is also Mercury-Mars (see full article in the The Tradition for details). At this time the comet would have been opposing the conjunction and squaring the Moon. In fact, the murders occurred within a few hours of the exact Mercury-Mars conjunction, as we can see in the timeline:

- 1st March late night (exact time not found), general Waié is murdered in a bomb attack;
- 2nd March, 03:05 am, the Mercury-Mars conjunction perfects (this was the third conjunction of a series of three, due to Mercury’s recent retrogradation from Aquarius to Capricorn);
- 2nd March, around 05:30 am: President Vieira is hacked and shot to death in his mother-in-law’s house, after a siege which lasted at least one hour.

There is also a possible interaction with the Presidents nativity – Nino Vieira was born on 27th April 1939 (time unknown). Despite the unfortunate lack of a birth time, the natal Moon would be posited between 9º and 23º of Leo, therefore close to the opposition of the Mercury-Mars conjunction degree. This area of the Zodiac was also the place of the two last eclipses (a solar eclipse at 6º Aquarius, and a lunar at 20º Aquarius-Leo).

These were the almost immediate effects of comet Lulin – a shocking and violent crime, as it would be expected judging by its nature. Let us hope this was Lulin’s darker side and from here on its effects become dimmer.

The Tradition journal – 2nd issue

The second edition of The Tradition journal is now available by following this link. The following list of contents will give you an good idea of the subject matter in this huge Spring issue. For those who haven’t read the first edition, it is still available as a free download, but the second issue is a paltry 5 euros the whole of which will be donated to charity (see The Tradition web site for further details).

Contents:

Expert opinion
Top astrologers comment on the subject of house division

Modern Myths – Non Cogunt
The Tradition, fate and freewill, by Sue Ward

The Theoretical Rationale Underlying the Seven Hermetic Lots
Chris Brennan addresses the principles behind the calculation of the seven Hermetic Lots

Astrological Software and the Practice of Traditional Astrology
Luís Ribeiro underlines the features for good Traditional astrology software

On The Great Conjunction or The Development of an Idea
Peter Stockinger explores the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction throughout history

‘Zodiacal releasing from Spirit’: a rediscovered Hellenistic method of prediction
An exposition of this interesting technique by Martien Hermes

Signatures – As Above so Below: Jupiter
Oscar Hofman continues to explore the universe of planetary correspondences

One King, Five Birthdays
Royal charts, wrong dates and complicated calendars, by Monique Roussy

Can we live without them? Traditional chart interpretation and the modern planets
Interpreting charts without the new planets, a practical approach by Helena Avelar

Credit-Crunch, Boom-Bust… Jupiter-Saturn
Sue Ward studies the current economic crisis from the perspective of the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction

Judging Temperament (Part II): a study of the method
The practical application of the temperament technique, by Luís Ribeiro

For Posterity – King Sebastian’s Nativity
Three curious astrological documents on the nativity of King Sebastian of Portugal, by Helena Avelar & Luís Ribeiro

By the Book – Ali ben Ragel, “on Terms”
By Helena Avelar

On the Heavens – Lulin comet: nasty little green thing
By Luís Ribeiro

The Freeport scandal and the Portuguese Prime Minister

In the last week allegations of bribe involving the Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates, have been all over the Portuguese media. The PM is supposedly involved in the Freeport scandal, and could have accepted bribes from a British building firm, to award the contract for the construction of the Freeport shopping complex. (read more)

Socrates is presently experiencing several significant astrological contacts, all of them related to this setback, which might jeopardise is political career. He was born on 6th September 1957 at 10:30 PM on Oporto, Portugal (source: hospital records):

Let us start by the primary directions.
The directed MC is now opposing the Mercury-Mars conjunction, which suggests that his public image and career (MC) are greatly damaged.
The first planet opposed by the directed MC is Mars, which according to the Tradition represents:

“It denounces onto the native many evils, robberies, contentions, quarrels, restraint of liberty, many harms, which shall as well proceed from himself as from others; many times public death is threatened, or public accusations (…) it notes lost of offices, commands, etc. In kings or princes it notes danger of deposing, loss of their armies, tumults by their soldiers, mutinies, uproars (…) in times of peace it shows the oppression of kings, and the subjects vexed.” – William Lilly, Christian Astrology

In the PM’s natal chart Mars rules the 7th and 12th houses, both signifying enemies, confrontation and (to an extent) limitation.
Right after the opposition to Mars the directed MC opposes Mercury, which suggests:

“(…) unto the native a most difficult and ambiguous time, oppressed and tormented with and by mercurial man, witty and learned, who shall give occasion of trouble and distress onto the native, misinterpreting his actions with several by-reports (…) it involves the native in some ungodly desire, and occasions his loss of preferment; it raises many feigned and untrue reports against the native, much abused by letters and sinister informations, false witnesses and accounts, and unjust sentences, or partial dealing of judges (…)” – William Lilly, Christian Astrology

Mercury rules the 2nd and the 5th houses, thus the accusation against him relate to bribery money (2nd house) and intermediation (5th house) of a shady dealing.

But these are not the only planetary movements to trouble Socrates.
Saturn has been transiting in Virgo, trough his natal Mercury-Mars conjunction, and thus strongly activating the two directions mentioned above. As Saturn is a difficult planet, toil and trouble are to be expected. The problems signified by this planet originate from his public image (as Saturn rules the 10th house) and from foreign countries (as it also rules the 9th).
In his solar revolution for the present year Saturn is angular in the 1st house and conjunct the Sun, thus increasing the impact of the problem.

Although the problem has been developing for some time, it only reached the level of scandal by last Monday the 26th. On that day an eclipse occurred at 6º Aquarius, and almost simultaneously a Mercury-Mars conjunction at 23º Capricorn. As both events affect the PM’s MC and 10th house, they have triggered the ongoing direction and transit. Thus, the underlying innuendo and rumours suddenly emerged into the public domain, “eclipsing” what was left of his already low popularity.

Here we can see how three different types of predictive technique can combine and interact in a nativity. The primary directions define the quality of the event, the transit enhances its meanings, the solar revolution determines its impact, and the eclipse (together with the fast-moving transits) acts as a trigger for a specific event.

In the 9th of February, a lunar eclipse will fall on the natal Moon, placed in the 10th house. This should bring further developments to this case. However, as the eclipse is penumbral and thus very weak, the effects shouldn’t be too drastic. Let’s wait and see.

The Animodar Project

The Academy of Astrology and The Tradition journal invite you to participate in the Animodar Project a global research project of Traditional Astrology.

The aim of this project is to apply the traditional chart rectification method of Animodar to as many charts as possible, using a computer program especially created to this purpose. Everybody with accurate birth data is invited to contribute.

To participate you just have to submit accurate data and you can do this by completing the on-line form.

Our own research has demonstrated that this method, which was very popular in centuries past, has great potential. In order to test this, we need a very large number of nativities with known birth times. We will, of course, publish the results so that all astrologers might know whether the Animodar is a useful tool or not.

For more details please visit the project’s webpage or watch our video presentation

We look forward to your participation

Twilight beauty: the Moon, Venus and Jupiter conjunction

Vénus, Jupiter and the Moon will be conjunct today at 22º Capricorn.

If the sky is clear enough the triple conjunction will be visible on the western sky right after sunset.

Besides being a wonderful sight, this triple conjunction also provides a good opportunity to observe the difference between zodiacal latitude and longitude.

Although Venus and Jupiter are at the same zodiacal degree, 22º Capricorn, and therefore at the same longitude, they don’t seem to be perfectly aligned.

Venus (the brightest one) seems to be below and a little to the left of Jupiter; this is so because the planets have different zodiacal latitudes: Venus is at 2º33’ South and Jupiter 0º33’ South.

So, there are two factors to take in account: longitude, the degree of a given planet in a sign (in this case 22º Capricorn), and latitude, the distance from the planet to the ecliptic (which is the central line of the Zodiac).

When latitude and longitude coincide exactly, the planets form a perfect alignment, called occultation. In such cases, the planet closer to us (which in this case would be Venus) passes between the Earth and the other planet (Jupiter), and occults it from our sight.

However, this will not occur today, as Venus does not align Jupiter.

Instead, we’ll have the opportunity to admire the two planets and the Moon, in a beautiful and inspiring configuration. … That is, if the clouds would go away!

Now what? – An overview of the first months of Barak Obama’s mandate

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Barack Obama’s victory in the 2008 Presidential Elections has been anticipated in astrological circles for some time. For a number of astrological reasons – namely his natal chart and his current primary directions – he was expected to win. And so he did.

Obama became the first Democrat president in 8 years and the first black president ever. His victory is, in many senses, remarkable. His intelligence, charisma and competence seem quite obvious, but he inherited a difficult and indeed explosive situation. He now faces complex problems in the political, economical and social areas – and the decisions he makes as the president of the USA will resonate worldwide.

So, what can we expect from the first six months of his presidency?

The study of the solar ingresses for this period gives us the answer.

Obama was elected on November 4^th still under the Libra Ingress of 22^nd September, but he will be inaugurated on January 20^th under the Capricorn Ingress of 21^st December.  The Libra Ingress chart clearly points to a difficult economical situation – which is no surprise given the economical crisis the world is presently facing. The ruler of the 2^nd house of resources, Saturn, is placed in the 10^th of government, thus establishing an obvious connection between economy and government. In the overall context, the chart is not very promising.

As to the Capricorn Ingress, the economical perspectives seem to be somewhat improved. The ruler of the Ascendant, Jupiter, is in the 2^nd cusp in Capricorn, thus pointing to the major concern of the country during that time: the economy. As Jupiter is in the sign of its fall, the economic condition is, obviously, weak. But the scenery is somewhat promising, as the North Node and Venus are placed in the 2^nd house, in Aquarius. We might therefore expect some kind of amelioration in that country’s economical situation. As Venus rules of the 10^th (government), we can see clearly the government’s focus on the economy. Additionally, the position of Saturn, the 2^nd house ruler in the 9^th, suggests some kind of change in the law with the purpose of rectifying the present difficulties.

It is no surprise to find the Moon in the 10^th house, suggesting a popular and consensual government. The Moon’s conjunction to Spica, a benefic star, reinforces this situation. In this period, President Obama enjoys great popularity and the acceptance of the great majority of the public. However, one cannot dismiss the conjunction of the Sun and Mars to the Ascendant, a strong enough (and malefic enough) aspect to contradict most of the above-mentioned positive significators. As Mars is angular and placed in the fiery sign of Sagittarius, it suggests strong and loud protests. Mars rules the 4^th and the 11^th, so these protests are most likely to originate from Congress (11^th) about issues related to territory, agriculture, real-estate, and mineral resources (oil?) (4^th). Notwithstanding, the President’s popularity remains and his position is strong, although he stands on shaky foundations.

This delicate balance is disturbed by the time of the Aries Ingress, as the “new president euphoria” fades away and the country faces harsh realities. Economy is once again the main issue, as indicated by debilitated Venus, ruler of the 2^nd, in the Ascendant. The insecurity of the situation becomes more evident now, and therefore the government is weakened. The Moon is again in the 10^th, but this time it is debilitated in Capricorn. Saturn, the 10^th ruler, is cadent in the 6^th House, which further weakens the government position. All this suggests a fall from grace.

The opposition of debilitated Mercury (ruler of the 3^rd) to Saturn can also suggest that the President will be under attack by the media, with innuendo and malicious criticism.

The retrograde condition of Venus in the Ascendant and of Saturn, ruler of the 10^th, suggests that the government will probably have to retreat from some of their political projects. Nonetheless, the strong position of Jupiter in the 11^th house of its joy, with the Part of Fortune and the North Node are positive indicators and show a general sense of confidence in the future. The following ingresses, of Cancer and Libra, seem to confirm these expectations by showing a slow but steady improvement in the USA’s economy. This will be dealt with in future posts.

New website, new weblog

After a major setback with our site due to hacking we are back with a new look and a new weblog.

The old posts are still being recovered and will be re-posted soon. Meanwhile enjoy the new ones!