Hero by Circumstance – The Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Volodymir Zelenskyy is the enigmatic leading actor in the fictitious story of a history teacher, who with the encouragement of his students, ran for president of Ukraine and was surprisingly elected. Real life then imitated the political satire, Servant of the People,1 when the “comedian” seriously became a candidate in the 2019 presidential elections. The name and theme of the TV series, which ran from 2015 until the election year 2019, was carried over to the party by the campaign team. Zelenskyy phenomenally won the election by 73% of the vote in the second round, defeating the incumbent Petro Poroshenko. Zelenskyy’s on-screen character, President Vasyl Holoborodko, fought against government corruption in the popular series, giving hope to his Ukrainian audience that it would translate into reality when he would become their real-life president. Not only did Zelenskyy succeed in achieving admiration for his service as an actor and activist turned leader of his country, but additionally gained worldwide acclaim for his heroic stewardship of Ukraine during its darkest hours of the horrific war perpetrated by the Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin. 

Zelenskyy has been likened to Winston Churchill and others of stature who exemplified uncommon valor during life’s most challenging eras. The previously obscure president of Ukraine was introduced to the world when he received the notorious phone call to him from former President Donald Trump. The US president sought a quid pro quo with Zelensky if he would investigate Hunter Biden due to his questionable position on the board of the Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings. The trade-off would be arms in exchange for information as it was Trump’s hope to uncover a scandal usable against Hunter’s father Joe Biden during the latter’s run for president in the 2020 US presidential elections. Backfiring on Trump, the recorded and then televised phone call of July 25, 2019, became evidence against him leading to his first of two impeachments by the US House of Representatives. In early 2022, Zelenskyy again came before the eyes of the world, when in lieu of running from harm’s way in avoidance of Russia’s invasion, the somewhat inexperienced politician rose grandly to the occasion, asking for more arms to fight the intruder, rather than accept friendly offers to be safely escorted out of his country.

The leader of a nation is the surrogate of the people. They “lend” their horoscope, along with its dynamic aspects2, to the group entity for which they are in charge. Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Ukraine’s president and therefore the surrogate of the people of his country. For better or for worse, his birth chart is used to anticipate existential circumstances synchronously reflected in the mirror of corresponding planetary aspects.

THE NATAL CHART AND SABIAN SYMBOLS3

Zelenskyy has a tight Sun to Venus conjunction which characterizes him as a loving and beloved leader of his people, who knew him first in his parody role and then as the real-life statesman they elected to office. The Sun and Venus are in the exact same zodiacal degree and could be considered Cazimi4, although it is 29 minutes beyond the 17 minutes of arc usually given to any planet that partners intimately with the Sun. The planet in the heart of the Sun becomes superpowered rather than outshined as it is when in normal conjunction with the Sun.

Zelenskyy graduated from Kyiv National Economic University with a law degree in 2000. Venus is associated with law and defines a culture’s value system. Laws are meant to protect and prevent societies from falling into corruption and moral decay. The very high standards Zelenskyy holds dear is a characteristic of the powerful Venus Cazimi, which is also an indicator of his involvement in the art form of storytelling. The Sun and Venus in the 9th house “encouraged” the native’s formal education in law, as well as afforded him fame and notoriety through co-founding the production company Studio Kvartal 95, and through the various televised programs in which he appeared throughout the years.

However, the most outstanding astrological feature when considering the Sun-Venus Cazimi is its Sabian Symbol. Rounding the conjunction’s zodiacal position to Aquarius 6 reveals the astoundingly literal image of A performer of a mystery play. His acting role as the reformer of corruption and injustice in Servant of the People was in a sense the rehearsal for the part he would play as the bonafide president and prime defender of Ukraine’s integrity. Whether role-playing or as a real-life statesman, Zelenskyy offers to the common citizen, an example of suitable attitudes needed to carry out the duties required to maintain a healthy and thriving society. The concept of the proper relationship between the individual and their environment is explained perfectly in the following symbol’s description. Zelenskyy performs his Sun’s life purpose, in conjunction with Venusian principles, to bring his 9th house wisdom and understanding within reach of the world where he has become a well-respected leader.

AQUARIUS 6 A performer of a mystery play This is a symbol of the mediating function of the mind as it is called on to interpret the individual and his world to each other, and as the everyday values of experience thereby are heightened in personality on the one side and in life itself on the other. The conventional aspect of reality is found to be a convenient backdrop for man’s self-realization, and his particular characteristics are exalted as variant and ever-stimulating potentialities of living relationship in general. The keyword is SUBTLETY. When positive, the degree is a gift for dramatizing the deeper or real opportunities of human society, and when negative, consistent self-mystification and marked impracticability.

The Moon in Zelenskyy’s chart is poised in opposition to the Sun, and by that positioning, becomes the foundation of the chart’s T Cross that brings natal Uranus into Point focus. The Sabian degree is interesting because it reveals the native’s touch with the public (Moon) through the means of giving instruction, just as his character as a teacher does in Servant of the People. In this symbol, it is the subject of chemistry rather than history as it was in the TV show, but nonetheless, the image of an educator eerily mimics the persona, that for Zelenskyy, manifests in symbol and in life.

LEO 18 A teacher of chemistry This is a symbol of the human mind’s illimitable power for penetrating into the deeper mysteries of an everyday world, and of the growing ambition of man to gain an effective control over all the processes of nature. Here is high organization of the intellectual faculties, and a special skill in the practical adaptation of scientific principles to, commonplace problems. The individual is given a full sense of his creative responsibilities. The keyword is INSTRUCTION. When positive, the degree is exceptional self-confidence and a delight in subjecting all experience to the test of immediate application, and when negative, unintelligent dependence on supposition or rules of the book.

Although now on the defensive, in the war imposed on Ukraine by a hostile Kremlin, Zelenskyy has stepped up to the task with courageous resolve in a manner that far exceeds the normal practice of governing. Mars is the planet that expresses the emotional reaction of resentment and anger if one’s desires and ambitions seem unattainable. If the natural process of initiation fails to accomplish the goal, frustration may lead to states of internal and external struggle, and in some confrontations, outright war can be the result. An early interpretation of the Sabian symbol for 1 degree Leo was A man red to bursting in a determination to get his own way.  In his Sabian Symbols in Astrology, Jones reverts back to the original image, A case of apoplexy, received telepathically by Elsie Wheeler. The original rendition of the symbol reflects the attitude of both Putin and Zelenskyy who are presently at loggerheads. In Zelensky’s case, his personality fits the definition expressed in the body of the text and reveals his present and literal willingness to risk his life rather than thwart his intent to save his country. The Mars factor is particularly important because Saturn and Pluto in transit form oppositions first to progressed Mars and later to its natal position. Zelenskyy, and the entire population of Ukraine, are determined to “get their own way” in these most absurd and challenging times.

The stunning and courageous acts performed by the native and the people of Ukraine are clearly defined by the first and second sentences of the surrogate’s Sabian symbol.

LEO 1 A case of apoplexy This is a symbol of an overwhelming potentiality, and of an ever-pressing necessity for genuine self establishment and personal stability. Implicit in the reversed symbolism is man’s complete lack of inhibition in his everyday make-up, together with his ability to mobilize all his powers and even risk his own existence rather than accept any thwarting of his desires. Here is emphasis on the unbroken continuity between being and doing, or between identity and its continual manifestation of itself. The keyword is IRRESISTABILITY. When positive, the degree is creativity in the day-by-day expression of the self’s real possibilities, and when negative, thoroughgoing self-indulgence and imposition on others.

A Focal Determinator5 of import is the T Cross with Uranus at a 90-degree angle to the Lights that are in opposition. Uranus, the Point Focus of this T Square, is in the Sabian symbol rounded to 17 Scorpio.

SCORPIO 17 A woman, the father of her own child This is a symbol of the eternal conflict between the practical involvements and the ideal potentialities of human nature, as here emphasized in man’s conscious individuality. The soul feels the weight of its transient responsibilities while the indwelling and immortal spirit is sensitive to its need for an enduring place in the scheme of things. The recurrent virgin birth of self is its reconciliation with its world through their common center of reality. The keyword is NUCLEATION. When positive, the degree is an illimitable self-potentiality with effective spiritual or ideal as well as practical or everyday orientations, and when negative, characteristically anarchistic self-sufficiency.

Zelenskyy enacted the entire meaning of the symbol, including its negative expression, in his role as the do-good anarchist in Servant of the People. And because of that portrayal, he was elected to accomplish the same goals as his on-screen character, in an attempt to radically clean up political corruption. People are adamant about the expectations of their leader’s performance and Zelenskyy is no exception to that rule. Though he stands out among politicians as a reformer, his somewhat eccentric behavior, prompted by Uranus in Point Focus, caused a tear in the fabric of his usually high-minded conduct, which instead brought a plummet to his ratings in 2021. His carelessness concerning a clandestine matter brought disfavor from colleagues and constituents when his offshore holdings were exposed in the Pandora Papers6 published in October 2021.

ROAD TO THE PRESIDENCY – PROGRESSED MARS STATION

A profound astrological event, though seldom used, is when a progressed planet turns from retrograde to direct or vice versa. The shift in direction goes through a period when a planet appears to stop in its position before reversing its path. This is called a progressed STATION and it marks the years when dramatic and often unexpected changes are to be expected in a person or nation’s life. The person or nation should acquiesce to the transformation required with a willingness to take on new opportunities presenting themselves. Marc Edmund Jones, in his Scope of Astrological Prediction7, defines these dynamic reversals as indicating a time for a critical or crucial regrasp of experience, or a “psychological shift in the fundamental course of life.”

The ephemeris for 2015 reveals a station of Mars in Zelenskyy’s secondary progressions. The station was effective for approximately five years and synchronous with when the actor transitioned from his roles in light-hearted situation-comedies and dance performances, to go on to tackle a more challenging leading role in Servant of the People. The focus on politics in the TV series led to his decision to seriously run for the presidency in Ukraine’s 2019 elections. The dramatic shift from Zelenskyy’s more superficial self-expression in the arts which included his symbolic role as president in the film and TV series to the actual running of a government is clearly represented by the station of Mars, the planet of Initiative. Truly it was the station of progressed Mars that indicated the end and new beginning of a time in life charged with energy and resolve.

Mars rules the exploration and initiation of potential ventures in the material world but when energies are thwarted the Mars impulse is associated with frustration, resentment, and anger with the possibility of retaliatory measures targeted against the source of stress. For the first thirty-seven years of Zelenskyy’s life, progressed Mars was in retrograde motion, then in 2015, the firey planet stationed to turn direct. The native was now able to release pent-up desires as it could benefit from the planet’s direct motion that gives rise to an existential manifestation of its meaning. At that rare pivotal point, Zelenskyy was face to face with a critical regrasp of experience and opportunity to lay the foundation for his extraordinary rise to power.

Unconventional ways of campaigning were at the heart of Zelenskyy’s run for president. His Sun-Venus Cazimi in the 9th house gave him ease in connecting with the public through remote and virtual social media. Point Focus Uranus also contributed its unique means of communication, when the candidate performed comedic, political routines on YouTube. Filtered into his upbeat virtual messaging were Zelenskyy’s promises to restore the people’s trust in politicians. He expressed the desire to “bring professional, decent people to power” and to “change the mood and timbre of the political establishment.” When elected, he set to work on a restart of the judicial system that was failing and focused on Ukraine’s financial difficulties. This tapped into his knowledge of law and economics. Clearly, the Progressed Lunation along with the basic chart potentials brought forth the quintessential candidate for reconstruction.

TRANSITS TO MARS

Zelenskyy’s Mars in dynamic charting is not limited to the station associated with the years when the native was in his mid to late thirties. There are other significant aspects that include powerful oppositions to progressed and natal Mars from the transits of Saturn and Pluto during the 2019 elections and later in 2022 with the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces. These particular oppositions represent powerful conflicts that cannot be avoided. Once again, the nation must reflect the planetary activity in the leader’s horoscope, and in this case, it has been literally for the worse. The opposition aspects to progressed Mars from transiting Saturn and Pluto, on the exact day of the invasion, unfortunately, validates the planet’s traditional meaning as the God of War. Another example of Mars showing its propensity for engagement in battle is when former president George W. Bush initiated war in Iraq at the time of transit Pluto’s opposition to the US natal Mars in 2003.

Chart 2 shows Saturn and Pluto in transit opposition to Zelenskyy’s progressed Mars at the time of Ukraine’s presidential elections. The chart’s outer wheel indicates the transits active at the time Zelenskyy was elected to the presidency. The transiting North Node also is conjunct progressed Mars revealing an exciting new era opening up with this candidate running for the highest office in the land.

Chart 3 shows transit Mars, closely followed by transit Venus, exactly opposite progressed Mars at the onset of the war on February 24, 2022. The low approval ratings Zelensky was experiencing at the time, reversed as he gained the full support of the people witnessing his outstanding courage in the face of devastating bombardment.

Beyond Mars as an indicator of conflict, its Sabian symbol shows the character that lies deep within the native’s psyche. When a symbol is prodded into manifestation by dynamic aspects, the astrological event gives rise to a dramatic show of a planet’s potential that otherwise may not be noticed. For Zelenskyy, the symbol of his Mars previously explained, reveals his capacity to rise to any challenge with astounding bravery. The nature of the surrogate’s Mars, and the recent aspects to it, are reflected in the population with their extraordinary fortitude in response to their formidable attackers.

THE PROGRESSED LUNATION

Major redirections in life occur when the progressed Moon, traveling at one degree per month, catches up with the progressed Sun moving at the speed of one degree per year. It is a progressed to progressed aspect called a Progressed Lunation or Progressed New Moon. This highly demanding progression of the Moon to the Sun occurs at 30-year intervals and is the harbinger of an imminent turning point in a person’s or nation’s life direction. Much like real-time monthly lunations, the progressed meeting of the Lights identifies when transitional seed ideas are conceived and later materialize into a fresh cycle of experience. The duration of adjustment to significant change encouraged by dynamic lunations is approximately four years, with influences being noticeable two years prior to the lunation’s exact aspect, with developing circumstances coming to fruition within a similar passage of time thereafter.

Zelenskyy announced his candidacy on December 31, 2018, soon after the progressed Moon entered the 10th house. The Moon represents one’s emotional engagement with others, while the 10th house relates to positions of power and authority. The timing of Zelenskyy’s decision to venture into unfamiliar circumstances was the result of the Progressed Lunation which was well within the time orb of its effectiveness.

Zelenskyy was elected about a year and a half before the exact Progressed Lunation. Throughout the time the Lunation was forming Transit Neptune was within orb of a conjunction with the progressed Sun.  The slow-moving Neptune greatly amplified the significance of the imminent Lunation, pointing to the authoritative responsibilities that would soon be thrust upon the native through the presidency. Neptune was in retrograde motion and only one degree beyond the exact Lunation’s degree at 18 Pisces 10. It moved backward toward the merging Progressed Lights and stationed on the Lunation’s exact degree to the minute on November 29, 2020. This adds exceptional meaning and power to the Lunation and shows the profundity of Zelensky becoming the candidate who would lead Ukraine through its yet unseen but eventual challenging future. 

The difficulties Zelenskyy would come to address were far greater than what he faced as an actor and producer. The shift from relative obscurity to power and influence synchronizes perfectly with the pivotal indication of the Progressed New Moon. The Lunation corresponded with numerous proposals for the reconstruction of government policies.

The exact Lunation occurring on September 19, 2020, made that particular year critical in accomplishing campaign promises, as well as dealing with unforeseen and demanding issues that included wildfires within Ukraine’s borders, with one threatening the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. There were floods, terrorist attacks, two airline crashes, and an oil tanker catastrophe, with all of these difficulties accompanied by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the most disappointing results were concerning the war in the Donbas region of Ukraine. The issue brought Zelensky face to face with Vladimir Putin yet in spite of his attempts to end the conflict it became a major point of contention in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

TRANSITS SATURN AND PLUTO

The long-term transits of slow-moving Saturn and Pluto correspond to the war waged on Ukraine by Russian forces initiated on February 24, 2022, at 4:50 am in Kyiv8. There are numerous meanings to any planetary aspect whether among natal configurations themselves or from progressed and transits to natal positions. The aspects from transiting Saturn and Pluto to the surrogate leader’s horoscope describe clearly the challenges that these sometimes ominous planets represent.

Transit Saturn was opposing Zelenskky’s natal Moon when Vladimir Putin gave the command to invade Ukraine under false pretenses. This completely overshadowed all aspects of Zelenskyy’s daily life, as ruled by the Moon. On June 5, 2022, transiting Saturn will station at 25 Aquarius 15, while at the same time transiting Mercury turns direct. Stationary Saturn will be opposite Zelenskyy’s natal Saturn in the 4th house, necessitating a major shift in basic operations that the nadir represents. Planetary stations are periods when from the Earth’s perspective, other orbiting planets appear to cease movement and change from direct to retrograde or from retrograde to direct. They present significant turning points in internal and existential circumstances when conjunct or opposite natal planets. They point to specific times when a critical regrasp of experience must be acknowledged. Transit Saturn retrogrades in 2022 until October 23, when it will station to go direct at 18 Aquarius 35. This may have a powerful effect on the coming situation because it is one degree from an exact opposition to Zelenskyy’s natal Moon.

Transit Saturn’s presence at the most elevated point in the chart will emphasize the leadership role Zelenskyy plays for the next few years. This elevated and thus highly focused transit, including its aspects to natal planets, reveals the overshadowing responsibility thrust upon the figurehead and surrogate, especially in the midst of devastating provocation. On February 25, 2023, transit Saturn will be exactly opposite its own natal position. This portends the time for an assessment of defeats as well as accomplishments in terms of the overall effects of war.

The ultra-slow transit of Pluto is approaching its opposition to Zelenskyy’s natal Mars and is within the 5-degree orb generally given for a transit9. Influences of the outer planets can be felt far in advance of their exact aspects because they are indicators of long-term developments in the scheme of things. They play the continuous, unrelenting base notes that support the faster-moving planets’ expression of more imminent and intimate details of everyday life.

Pluto is a fundamental factor in recent Ukrainian history corresponding to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.  That particular act of aggression was just one beat among the many measures of the long-developing rhythm of war in Ukraine. Zelenskky’s horoscope does not figure into initial conflicts because he was not president in 2014.

Aside from an astrological evaluation of the surrogate of a nation, it is important to include the dynamic aspects occurring in the chart of the nation itself.10 Dynamic aspects in the chart of Ukraine contribute to an overall picture of the stresses upon the nation and it is the all-important transit of Pluto hovering back and forth over the country’s natal Neptune during the Maidan Revolution that is most telling. The comparison of Ukraine’s horoscope with that of its president is also enlightening.

Crossties11 are useful when comparing horoscopes between marriage or business partners or between siblings, or parents with their children. It is also possible to get a glimpse into the compatibilities between a nation and its leaders, whether it is the president or other government officials. There are four crossties between the national chart of Ukraine and its president. This shows that there is an active and intimate tie between the two charts with the characteristics of the relationship defined by the planets involved. Two of the aspects involve the sensitive yet sustaining energy of Saturn, with the remaining two simulating the planetary pair of Significance,12 Uranus, Neptune, and supernumerary Pluto. There are charts that lack Crossties and therefore the connections lie elsewhere within the basic structure of the horoscopes, or it may mean there is little allying one entity to the other. This causes the need for a more concerted effort in communications because of the missing magnetism. The four strong ties within a one-degree orb allowance show Zelenskyy to be wholeheartedly engaged with his country and vice versa.

Zelenskyy’s chart shows noteworthy activity when Pluto will transit in opposition to his natal Mars in 2023. Transit Pluto will station opposite Mars on and off for the duration of the long-term transit which may foretell either continuing conflicts ahead or may indicate the time for civic reconstruction.

Looking into the past, there are the progressed Mars station of 2015 and Progressed Lunation of 2020 that marked significant dynamic indicators of unprecedented change for the people of Ukraine. Transits Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto all play important roles in the country’s destiny.

THE WAY HOME

There is one strong Crosstie linking the natal Moons in an opposition aspect from Zelenskyy’s natal chart to the chart of the United States. The polarizing feature of the aspect draws the two nations together in an intense relationship as long as Zelenskyy remains in power. The bond became stronger and proved its virility through the coordination of the Pluto Return13 of the United States and the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The first of a series of conjunctions from transit Pluto to the US natal Pluto occurred on February 22, 2022, just two days before Russia invaded Ukraine of February 24. The US has been instrumental in arming Ukraine, as well as rallying NATO countries to cooperate and to supply humanitarian aid, armaments, and general support in defense of the citizenry as it endures an onslaught of relentless bombardment.

The world is often deprived of inspirational, political leadership, yet without conscious intent, Volodymyr Zelenskyy answered that need to the satisfaction of those who have hope for real change to prevail in the democratic lean of Ukraine. As the nation’s surrogate, Zelenskyy exemplifies a diligent servant of the people, and his steadfast response is simply the manifestation of the vision and character of the people of Ukraine themselves. He is the people’s choice and representative whom they entrusted with the almost impossible mission to rid corruption from their government and to set the country on a brighter path. Unfortunately, the evil intentions from without have interrupted Ukraine’s peaceful attempts at transformation indicated most profoundly in Zelenskyy’s chart by the responsibilities he accepted during his Progressed Lunation.

The sacrificing masses involved in the revolutions of 2004 and 2014 show a characteristic fortitude and willingness of the people to die for their cherished beliefs. Zelenskyy, as a young man during these times, was primed for the job of leading the country so often challenged for its very existence. Thanks to the courageous youth of both the Orange and Maidan Revolutions the way is being paved for a democracy that is free from the worn-out shackles of the Soviet Union that may only vanish with the end of Vladimir Putin himself. In a free society, leaders represent what lies deep in the hearts of those who are empowered to elect them. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has proven himself to be a true servant of the people of Ukraine, both in times of peace and in times of his country’s greatest need for courageous leadership.

I really want you not to hang my image in your offices, Zelensky said to parliament members during his inauguration speech. Hang photos of your children there, and before every decision, look them in the eye. 

 

 

1. The political party: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_of_the_People

The TV series:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_of_the_People_(TV_series)#:~:text=Servant%20of%20the%20People%20(Ukrainian,high%2Dschool%20history%20teacher%20in

2. Dynamic aspects are transits and progressions to natal planets.

3. The Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society – Stanwood Washington

4. Cazimi, Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society – Stanwood Washington, pp. 275, 299

5. Focal Determinators, Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society – Stanwood Washington,  Chapter 4, p. 192

6. Pandora Papers: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/4/pandora-papers-ukraine-leader-seeks-to-justify-offshore-accounts 

and, https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/just-all-others-end-zelensky-alternative

7. Scope of Astrological Prediction by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society – Stanwood Washington, p. 49

8. Time of the invasion:  The Economist Interview with Zelenskyy

9. Transit orbs are decided by the Astrologers’ personal discretion.

10. Ukraine horoscope can be found at astro.com by using the search tool.

11. Crossties form when planets in a chart make a conjunction or opposition aspect with a planet in the chart with which it is being compared. Orb allowance is within one degree of exactitude.

12. Planetary Pairs,  Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society – Stanwood Washington. Chapter 3, p. 108

13. US article on Pluto Return: http://planetarydynamics.com/2021/06/24/birth-and-remaking-of-america-the-pluto-return/

The Devil is in the Astrological Details – Putin’s Obsession with Power

It is fitting that Vladimir Putin has several planets in and at the cusp of the 12th house, because hidden operations were and still are the autocrat’s modus operandi. The Soviet Union’s KGB was typical of behind-the-scenes activity as the 12th house well represents. Putin’s 16 years of experience as a foreign intelligence officer laid the foundation for his ongoing political appointments both clandestine and later in the public eye.

Putin’s planets in the 12th house relate to his devious plans to eliminate the power of his adversaries by one means or another. He has silenced them, and the truth, by taking over all Russian media, and has secretly and openly murdered his political opponents. His invasion of Ukraine holds the entire world hostage with the occasional brandishing of his nuclear arsenal. He did, however, underestimate the resistance of the free world presently united around a courageous Ukraine. Even Russian soldiers, themselves, fled the country when they awakened to the fact that they were hapless pawns in the autocrat’s brutal methods to maintain control and power.

Progressed Neptune

To deceive others as well as himself is the result of Putin’s progressed Neptune still within its conjunction to natal Mercury in the hidden realms of the 12th house. The Neptunian propensity for intrigue permeated his mind through Mercury, to conjure a plot to overthrow a neighboring country.

It is rare to see a slow-moving, progressed planet merge to make an aspect with a natal planet. However, when it does so, attention must be paid because these alignments have a long-term influence on a person or nation. Putin’s progressed Neptune was exact in its conjunction with natal Mercury in 2011. In 2022, it was just minutes beyond its intense conjunction when he took the unprovoked offensive against Ukraine. This dynamic1 conjunction reveals his concentration on the Mercurial, detailed tactics going on deep within the dark recesses of his unfathomable psyche. The progression is ultra-slow and points to Putin’s irrepressible Neptunian delusions of grandeur that have finally come out of the 12th house closet for all to see.

Neptune is also associated with the positive upliftment of soul through faith and the belief in beneficent higher forces. The planet’s meaning includes a concern for the welfare of the community along with a strong sense of belonging and inclusion. When in its negative mode, one can be lost in an impractical and illusory world where a clouded vision leads to escapism through an addiction to drugs, food, or alcohol, or with involvement with insidious cults, and at times, simply by a blatant sense of superiority. Such is the case in Neptune’s present progression in the sign of Libra which normally is synonymous with balance and harmony. When out of balance, the sign is conflict-oriented and can provoke outright enmity. Authority then devolves into autocracy and dictatorship for anyone in a leadership position.

The 12th house “hosts” hidden opponents while the 7th house indicates open enemies in direct warfare. Putin’s war invokes the tactics of both houses. The 12th house dynamic activity helped fabricate the outlandish narrative of a fear of Nazism to justify his deadly 7th house attack on Ukraine in February 2022. If the motivation to eliminate Nazis were true, then Putin should be the first to go, as his aggression committed against Ukrainian civilians, mirrors albeit to a lesser degree, the genocide perpetrated on the Jews during World War II.

Added to the drama of the Neptune to Mercury conjunction is Putin’s progressed Mercury station that went direct in 2016. Corresponding to this reset of planetary and real-life direction is Russia’s unapologetic interference in the US presidential election of that same year. The line on the ephemeris graph shows the secondary progressions for the age of the Russian president in 2022. The circled station-direct of Mercury above it is astrological “evidence” of cyberspace tampering with the US 2016 elections documented in the Mueller Report.2

Transits and Progressions

A focus on the Nadir of the chart shows a combination of dynamic aspects working together in conjunction with the natal North Node. Transit Saturn and progressed Mars were both conjunct the North Node in the initial days of the invasion and both planets are edging ever closer to an exact opposition to natal Pluto, elevated at the Midheaven. Saturn acts in a more immediate way because its transit moves far faster than the Mars progression. Saturn moved on to oppose natal Pluto on April 9, 2022, then stationed to go retrograde on June 5, 2022, at 25 Aquarius 15. It returned to oppose Pluto in early August of the same year. On October 23 it went direct, opposite Pluto at 18 Aquarius 35. In late December 2022 through early January 2023, Saturn was exact again in its final opposition in this series of tense aspects with natal Pluto. Saturn’s proximity to Putin’s 4th house cusp brings attention to the desire on his part to establish new territorial boundaries, whether he succeeds in doing so or not.

Natal Pluto, Point and High Focus

 The longer-term progressed Mars follows Saturn’s advances but takes approximately four years to complete its ominous progression. First, it will enter Putin’s 4th house before it reaches its exact opposition to natal Pluto due in 2026-2027 (see Dec. 1952 ephemeris). This is highly significant because Pluto is the Point Focus of the T Cross created by the foundational opposition of Venus to Jupiter. Pluto is the opposition’s outlet for any stress and strain formed by the polarized aspect, and its powers are intensified by its elevated position in very tight conjunction with the Midheaven. These factors bring Pluto into High Focus as well as Point Focus, and for the politician wishing to make an impression on the world, this planet is Putin’s greatest astrological “ally.” Unfortunately, the use of his powers has been a negative expression of the planet revealed by the suppression of the rights and freedoms of the people he rules, and by the brutal slaughter of innocent men, women, and children of Ukraine.

Because Putin is the leader and surrogate of the Russian people, everyone in the country is subjected to his chart with its natal and dynamic aspects. They experienced, along with him, the constructive initiatives he put into action that improved the economic situation in his early political career, but the populous is also exposed to the effects of the extreme sanctions currently imposed upon the country as a punitive measure.

Astrological Influences and Sabian Symbols

The astrological influences are:

Transit Saturn conjunct the Nadir opposite natal Pluto 2022 – 2023; The Progressed New Moon July 31, 2023, and The Progressed New Moon conjunct natal Mars July 31, 2023.

The Sabian symbols shed great light on the inner world of a native’s subconscious. Natal Saturn is in close contact with Putin’s natal Sun, making for a hypersensitivity that compensates through sheer shrewdness in the creation of a fortress of self-deception, defensiveness and self-justification. Under a veil of confidence and prowess, there is a suggestion of moral deviousness with Saturn’s Sabian symbol degree rounded to 18 Libra, Two men placed under arrest. The symbol’s description hints that the dictator may be accountable for war crimes at some point. The symbol’s keyword is CONSEQUENCE. In Marc Edmund Jones’ Sabian Symbols in Astrology, he writes, “When positive, the degree is a heightened challenge to every special talent, and when negative, total inappropriateness of impulse and act.”

In their negative manifestation, the progressed and transit aspects active on February 24, 2022 drove Putin out of his 12th house subjectivity and onto the 7th house open battlefield. Progressed Jupiter, at the onset of the full-scale invasion, was exact to the minute at 11 Taurus 42 in opposition to natal Venus in Scorpio. The intensified polarization of the two normally benefic planets activated the wide orb T Cross to Pluto at the Midheaven. This tension-producing progression of Jupiter was further amplified through the proximity of the Uranus transit applying in conjunction with it in opposition to Venus within 15 minutes of exactitude.

The Progressed New Moon

A powerful astrological indication of the possibility of a dramatic outcome and finale for Putin’s atrocities is the imminent Progressed New Moon exact on July 31, 2023. It is normal for a Progressed New moon to indicate an extreme redirection in one’s current life path.

Among the vast number of individuals whose lives illustrate the power of Progressed New Moons is President Joe Biden. It was when his Progressed New Moon was minutes of being exact that the former US Vice President in the Obama Administration announced his run for president in the campaign season of the 2020 elections. Upon his win, Biden left the private life he settled into in Delaware, to serve the public once again in the nation’s capital. Biden has gone on to live a vastly different life than what he experienced before his monumental life transition, associated with Progressed New Moons, took place.

The actual time-orb of influence of the progressed-to-progressed Lights is approximately a year and a half before and after the New Moon takes place. Some astrologers give as much as three years before and after. Considering its wide orb allowance, Putin’s future is already being influenced by this dynamic aspect foretelling a great life reconstruction.

The meeting of the progressed Lights within the Progressed Lunation Cycle marks the completion of a phase of life that ultimately makes way for the next. The unexpecting native will encounter a need to leave behind patterns of behavior to which he is accustomed and at the same time cultivate the intent to go forward with what is likely a vague and unpredictable future. The aspect list shows the core dates of the second of the three possible Progressed New Moons that can occur in Putin’s lifetime.

The progressed Lights now traveling through Putin’s 2nd house of economic affairs reveal that the heavy sanctions, among other burdens placed upon the country, may very well be the beginning of his and his country’s serious self-examination. This reveals a crisis in national consciousness that Putin and his people are bound to encounter. There have been predictions made by several individuals that may have inside information or at least a familiarity with how things work in the Kremlin. In an interview on CNN, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the exiled Russian businessman and at one time wealthiest Russian, stated, “I’m convinced that Putin hasn’t got much time left. Maybe a year, maybe three.”3 However, what he is basing his assumptions on is not clear. Another prediction is based on rumors of Putin’s bad health, when Sir Richard Dearlove on his co-hosted podcast, stated, “I think he’ll be gone by 2023 – but probably into the sanatorium, from which he will not emerge as the leader of Russia.”4 Interestingly, Dearlove, the former head of UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, puts Putin’s possible fall from power exactly in the year of the profound astrological event of his Progressed New Moon.

The Revealing Sabian Symbols

Circled on the ephemeris graph for December 1952 shows progressed Mars taking four to five years from Putin’s present age, for its opposition to Pluto to become exact. Natal planets need to be referenced when interpreting their dynamic movements. Mars in its natal expression is very telling in its Sabian symbol rounded to Sagittarius 27, A sculptor. The keyword for Sagittarius 27 is IMMORTALIZATION. Jones writes about this image stating, “When positive, the degree is exceptional self-expression through a gift for building all experience into a personal fulfillment, and when negative, callous impersonality and overambitious pretensions.”

More significantly, the Progressed New Moon in July 2023 will conjunct natal Mars. This direct activation of Mars and its Sabian symbol will create an overwhelming boost of energy. First, the Progressed New Moon will tightly conjunct the birth Mars, then progressed Mars will carry that seeded aspect-event toward the opposition to natal Pluto a few years hence. The New Moon conjunct natal Mars foretells of a 2nd house reordering of the Russian economy. Progressed Mars at the Nadir, opposing Pluto, may just be what it takes astrologically to bring the autocrat to his knees.

It is likely that any immortalization (the symbol’s keyword) of Putin will be a reflection of the negative expression of the natal Mars degree. In lieu of a more positive manifestation of the chart, we have a tragic waste of life potentials shown in this otherwise extremely promising horoscope with two T Crosses; one to the powerful elevated Pluto and the other to planets in a stellium5 that includes the natal Sun. In place of enjoying a gratifying summation of his life’s work, the dictator leaves a deep footprint of destruction behind him in the world. Putin’s reputation is forever tarnished, and he will go down in history as one whose evil acts brought about his own condemnation. At the same time, his unforgivable aggression has catapulted his Ukrainian “adversary,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to heroic heights. Putin managed to unite almost the entire world against him, illustrating the negative expression of his Pluto Sabian symbol, Leo 23, A bareback rider. The keyword for Leo 23 is AUDACITY. Jones states, “When positive, the degree is uncompromising courage in the everyday business of living and a carefree assurance in meeting the problems of a modern society, and when negative, idle self-display and intemperate desire for applause.”

The world is watching and waiting for the war to come to a favorable end, especially for those in harm’s way. While there are astrological harbingers foretelling imminent change, there is nothing to do but to witness the mysterious connection between the celestial movements and events taking place before our eyes.

 

 

    1. Dynamic refers to the moving transits and progressions as they activate natal chart potentials
    2. Full title of the Mueller Report: Report On The Investigation Into Russian Interference In The 2016 Presidential Election
    3. www.businessinsider.com/exiled-russian-oligarch-Mikhail-Khodorkovsky-predicts-ukraine-end-putins-regime-2022-3
    4. https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-out-of-power-by-2023-sanatorium-former-mi6-chief-2022-5
    5. A stellium is a cluster of three or more planets located in the same sign and/or house

 

Planets and Their Effects on Mind and Body

The Solar System consists of interrelating electromagnetic fields. The components of these fields are defined by the eight individual planets along with the two Lights – the Sun and Moon. A planet is the visible core of matter, energy, and intelligence, similar to an atom whose protons and neutrons are orbited by electrons that produce electrical impulses. The fields are encoded impulses perpetually traveling through space with their focus on encompassing the reaches of the solar system including Earth. The planets’ waves of energy interact among themselves to coalesce into a complex messaging system and it is the astrologer’s task to decode their intent and purpose.

The emanation of the intelligent, magnetic fields permeates the solar system, and the earth becomes immersed in its collective energies. The effects of these interacting forces are felt strongly when planets align at geometric angles in relationship to natal planets. In astrological terms, these configurations are called major aspects. The five geometric angles of import are the conjunction, sextile, square, trine, and opposition. These are defined by the planets that are 0, 60, 90, 120, and 180 degrees apart, yet have a 10-degree orb of allowance for the planets, 12.5 for the Moon, and 17 degrees for the Sun. The electromagnetic fields are spherical and three-dimensional.

The human body acts as an antenna absorbing the planetary emanations through the energy centers of the body also known as the chakra system. These energies are usually felt as intense pressures and are felt as emotional stresses within the body and mind, similar to when the opposite poles of a magnet are exposed to each other but not yet actually touching. This magnetic pull is often misinterpreted as being caused by a physical illness or mental pathology. It can be accompanied by anxiety leading the individual to seek to avoid or suppress their emotional and bodily feelings. As planets move into exact aspect positioning they become indicators of an auspicious time for personal growth, however, the ego wishing to remain in a pleasant state often resists these precious times of personal evolution. Planetary interactions communicate in an astrological, geometric language that astrologers can interpret for a person wishing to understand the meaning of the profound feelings that are generated by them.

An astrologer should look to fast-moving progressions and slow-moving transiting planets to identify the sources and meanings of these periodic crises in consciousness. The planets, as representatives of higher intelligent forces, act in this way to gain the attention of the individual. An experienced astrologer is the interpreter of the intense and demanding call to transformation that the planets have in store for the recipient of the forces at play in the solar system.