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Review of DECEMBER 2011
December 2011 saw
the death of North Korean dictator, Kim
Jong-il. Although his passing away was officially
announced on the 17th of December, no
one is sure of the exact time or date of his death,
nor indeed, of his birth, given this controlling
regime’s penchant for secrecy and their preference for
mythologizing the life of their ‘dear leader’ in order to
elevate him to godlike levels. Indeed, the
official North
Korean version of his birth states that he was born ‘Abe
Lincoln-like’ in 1942 in a log cabin on the sacred Mount
Paektu - an event ‘allegedly marked by a double rainbow and
a bright star in the sky.’
In fact, historians think he was actually born in Siberia in
1941 when he father sought political refuge from the Soviet
Union after being sent into exile.
Looking at the
mundane transits at the time of the announcement,
there was a Moon-Mars conjunction in Virgo
in play at the time, which happened to be squaring
the nodal axis. This suggests that his death by heart
attack was over quickly and may have occurred whilst
travelling or in motion, which fits with the official
account of his death – of a heart attack whilst on a train.
Given that the
announcement also came within a week of the lunar
eclipse, which always occurs near to the lunar nodes,
this seems to be an ill-fated omen. In fact, in
Babylonia and Assyria, the cradle of astrology,
lunar eclipses were considered to be very bad
portents, especially harmful to the king. In
fact, historians have revealed that at such times, the ruler
was often removed from the palace and a stand-in made to
take his place. This hapless victim thereby acted as a
proxy, bearing the brunt of any misfortune bought about by
the eclipse that was originally meant for the king.
The Eurozone
crisis also reached boiling point around the 9th
- the day before the lunar eclipse, with David
Cameron vetoing the UK’s inclusion in the new treaty being
negotiated with other Eurozone countries. Although I was
initially perplexed by the symbolic significance of this, on
retrospect, it occurred to me that perhaps the
Gemini-Sagittarius axis of this eclipse series
represented ‘faith in the monetary and
political system;’ faith and belief being
associated with Sagittarius; whilst politics,
negotiation and commercial activities are very
much associated with Mercury-ruled Gemini. Headlines
such as ‘Euro crisis summit: The night Europe changed’ also
seem in keeping with the nature of eclipses to suddenly and
irrevocably change a situation.
The proximity
of the final stage of Euro crisis talks to the eclipse
suggests that European leaders have six months in
which to resolve the crisis before banks and
stock markets completely lose confidence in its viability.
One ray of
hope lies in the stationing of Jupiter, which
took place on the 26th of December 2011.
Currently traversing steady Taurus, sign of
banking, agriculture, real estate and
tangible forms of material wealth, Jupiter’s
retrograde period, which began at the end of August
2011, roughly coincided with the first signs of
turbulence within the markets relating to Europe over the
summer. This suggests that the return of this lucky
and abundant planet to direct motion should
now corresponds to a restoration of confidence and stability
between now and June 2012.
As I mentioned
in my
November Astro-Insights column, the conglomeration of
Mars, Pluto and Jupiter into a grand trine
formation during November offered several windows
of opportunity which favoured stable, but
far-reaching reforms and major structural changes
to Europe’s political and monetary systems,
which were NOT utilised.
Fortunately,
because of retrograde spells by Jupiter and
Mars (due to take place from January the 24th
2012), these windows will once open again
for a second and final time in Spring 2012.
Around mid-March (13 – 15th),
another set of Mars-Jupiter-Pluto trines will take
place, as Jupiter re-traces its steps through Taurus and
Mars reverses through Virgo.
What’s more,
close to this time, Jupiter will be joined by
fellow benefic, Venus, providing a double dose
of auspicious vibrations, creating the perfect
environment in which to take action. Not only does it
provide the setting for a stable, smooth
transition out of financial trouble, but it also
favours the introduction of practical,
constructive reforms and regulations to both the
international banking system, as well as to the
laws concerning the way that large
institutions, including governments, are run.
Let’s hope that this time, the politicians will grasp this
opportunity with both hands and take action, instead of
dithering.
References:
The importance of these predictions cannot be
exaggerated. The Assyrians
and Babylonians regarded lunar eclipses as evil
omens, directed against their kings. Now that they
were predictable, it was possible to appoint
substitute kings who would bear the brunt of the
gods' wrath. The real king would remain unharmed and
the continuity of the state's policy was guaranteed.
(The poor man who was appointed as substitute king
was killed. In this way, the omen was always right.)
-
http://www.livius.org/k/kidinnu/kidinnu.htm
SOLI-LUNAR
PHASES
Over the course of a year, the
solstices and
equinoxes of the Sun mark
out the changing seasons, which affect not
only the beginning of different natural cycles, but
our moods and choice of activities; whilst on
a smaller scale, the Moon's phases make up the
time-span of a month. In fact, the etymology
of the word month, comes from the
Indo-European
word,
'me(n)ses',
meaning
"moon." 1
During
this period, the Moon also moves through the
zodiac, with every progressive full or new
moon cycle occurring in the sign more or
less following that of the previous month.
Lunar Phases
With the lunar phases currently out of sync
with our calendar months, the New Moon in
Sagittarius actually occurs in late December and we will not
experience another New Moon until the end of
January.
NEW MOON IN CAPRICORN
24 December 2011
Last month, we
experienced a New Moon in Capricorn on the
Christmas Eve, ushering in a mood of austerity for the
next month - no doubt, a sober response to post
festive shopping madness and culinary over-indulgence. Over
the next month, belt-tightening and austerity
is likely to once again be the order of the day as we enter
2012.
FULL MOON IN CANCER
9 January 2012
On the 9th
of January at 07h30 GMT, a Full Moon
in Cancer, sign of home and hearth,
brings the family-oriented theme of the Christmas
holiday period officially to a close. It is also a good
time to make dietary and domestic changes.
NEW MOON IN AQUARIUS
23
January 2012
Later, on the
23rd at 07h39, a New Moon in
Aquarius signals a good time to initiate popular
ideological, humanitarian and
technologically-driven activities. Here, the Occupy
Movement springs to mind. Interestingly, both the Sun
and Moon will be coming off a positive sextile
to Uranus, ruler of Aquarius and the planet
most associated with political change, popular
uprisings and political upheaval due to its
‘discovery’ around the time of the French Revolution.
Solar Phases
SUN INTO
AQUARIUS
20 January 2012
The Sun
will enter Aquarius at 16h10 GMT on the 20th
of January, beginning a month-long period during which
democratic and technological undertakings are
favoured. This is also an excellent time for group
activities, as well as projects or events
involving friends. According to Ptolemy, ‘The sign of
Aquarius as a whole is cold and watery,’ and
is considered to be ‘lunar’ in nature:
-
“Since of the twelve signs the most
northern, which are closer than the others to our zenith
and therefore most productive of heat and of warmth are
Cancer and Leo, they assigned these to the greatest and
most powerful heavenly bodies, that is, to the
luminaries, as houses, Leo, which is masculine, to the
sun and Cancer, feminine, to the moon. In keeping with
this they assumed the semicircle from Leo to Capricorn
to be solar and that from Aquarius to Cancer to be
lunar, so that in each of the semicircles one sign might
be assigned to each of the five planets as its own, one
bearing aspect to the sun and the other to the moon,
consistently with the spheres of their motion and the
peculiarities of their natures.” Tetrabiblos, XVII
Planetary Events & Energy Shifts throughout JANUARY 2012
This month, two
highly auspicious aspects involving the Great
Benefic, Jupiter, promise to add an element of
richness and expansiveness to events or actions
that take place on the 8th and 15th.
On the former date, a Mercury-Jupiter trine adds
eloquence and depth of meaning to formal
communications, speeches and written material,
making it excellent for business meetings,
seminars, political debates or legal hearings.
The latter, a Venus-Jupiter sextile, promises to
bestow meaningfulness, cultural tolerance and
added sensuality to romance and
relationships.
The day before
(14th) this Venus-Jupiter contact,
Venus, the so-called ‘lesser benefic’, ingresses into
Pisces – the sign in which it is exalted,
possibly because it is traditionally ruled by Jupiter. This
means that for the rest of the month, creativity and
love are exceptionally well-starred.
On the 13th,
Mercury makes a conjunction with Pluto
in Capricorn – a move that promises to add extra
depth and power to words and thoughts.
Given the transformative potential of this aspect, it
is incumbent on all of us, but especially those in positions
of authority and those in the media, to act responsibly
and in a considered manner when it comes to
communications of all kinds. Visualisations and
meditations may prove to be especially effective
and intense now, as will hypnotherapy
sessions.
On the same
day, the Sun will trine Mars, adding an
extra dose of confidence and assertiveness
to leadership activities and personal undertakings.
However, left unchecked, this could spill over into
arrogance or carelessness. Fortunately, though,
Venus will also make a conjunction to
Neptune in cool-headed and principled Aquarius,
as well as trine steady and restrained
Saturn, which should help to keep inter-actions with
others both diplomatic and considerate.
Relationships
look set to undergo major shifts on the 20th,
care of a Venus-Pluto sextile. It would seem that a
few rule changes may be in order, if not a full-blown
commitment of some kind. Could wedding bells
be in the air for some couples?
Two days
to avoid trying to further individual goals are the 19th
and 22nd, when the Sun squares off
with first Saturn; and then, Jupiter. This
could result in few feathers being ruffled if we attempt to
push forward too forcefully in advancing personal aims now.
By contrast, a
Mercury-Mars trine on the 23rd is
excellent for cutting through red tape and making
progress on any level. It is especially good for
ironing out details and nailing down regulations
or structures - very handy for forging ahead
with contracts, building projects and putting
together technical reports.
Mars
turns retrograde on the 24th - an
act which may slow the pace down a little in matters
related to diet, health and administrative
affairs. For the next three months, you are
better off focusing your attentions on reviewing,
reworking or fine-tuning existing projects,
rather than trying to begin new initiatives.
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