Biden, Harris and the 2024 US Presidential Elections

On July 21, 2024, Biden withdrew from his candidacy for president in the 2024 presidential elections. Instead, he endorsed his Vice President Kamala Harris to run for president in his stead. Transit Uranus was lingering opposite Biden’s natal Sun for the better part of 2024 and was slowing to station exactly opposite his Sun on September 2, 2024. Uranus acted as usual in sudden and unexpected force when a tidal wave of democrats opposed his running again for president after his erratic performance at the Biden-Trump debate on June 27. As well, transit Saturn was inching toward the cusp of Biden’s 4th house of Base of Operations and abode, to indicate that the time had come for him to consider a move to another location. Transit Mars opposite natal Venus coming to a conjunction with natal Uranus shortly after is another indication of the opposition Biden endured from those in favor of change.

Biden’s natal Sun also plays a significant role in his position as president and his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. His Sun Sabian symbol degree is King of the fairies approaching his domain. Biden had been “approaching” the position of President of the United States for decades. Finally, in 2020 he achieved his ambitious dream. He even mentioned to a journalist on the walk up Pennsylvania Avenue after his inauguration that he felt like he was on his way home. In 2024, while transit Uranus came to an opposition with his natal Sun, it was time to make a change of domain from Washington D.C. back to Delaware.

Vice President Kamala Harris takes Center Stage

The astrological indicators involved at the time Kamala Harris was passed the torch are unusual and not easy to find. One has to examine the chart of the United States to see a very poignant progression about to take place and make aspects to Harris’ chart at the same time. The United States (US) is in the throes of a significant cyclical completion called the Progressed New Moon. This is where the progressed Moon in any chart, be it personal or national comes to the place of the progressed Sun. This occurs approximately every 30 years. A new direction of experience is expected although the transition from past to future may take up to three years on either side of the exact conjunction of the progressed Lights. However, it is important not to ignore the events taking place close to the exact aspect. In this case, the US Progressed New Moon is exact within days of the US 2024 presidential elections. Surely the country will take on a new direction since Biden dropped out, however, there should be an even stronger indication of change afoot, since the tension between political parties appears to be at its maximum.

Not every astrological event in the US chart is relevant in the lives of any particular citizen of the country. However, when someone plays a major role in the dramatic events of the country it is pertinent and noteworthy. This is true for Kamala Harris. The US progressed Moon is within close opposition to Harris’ natal Pluto and Venus. In fact, four years ago the US progressed Sun was activating, by opposition aspect, to Harris’ Pluto, the planet associated with political power, when she took office as the Vice President of the United States. On July 21, Harris realized her chance to reach the pinnacle of power when the US progressed Moon opposed her natal Pluto within a mere 38 minutes of arc.

The US Progressed New Moon is exact on November 10, 2024 at 19 Pisces 26. Its proximity to Harris’s planets in Virgo and the closeness in time to the actual elections is uncanny. This timing, so close to the elections is further emphasized by corresponding within less than a month to the last of the several stations* of transit Pluto in its epic 248-year cycle of return to its natal place in the US chart. The Pluto Return as it is called, will finally be over. A new cycle of experience will start with a bang in the form of the US Progressed New Moon so shortly after.

Transit Jupiter Conjunct Trump’s Natal Sun

When comparing the horoscopes of the 2024 candidates for president, both have indicators of success. Transit Jupiter usually brings good fortune and positive outcomes when making its presence obvious at important events, such as a national election. This is the aspect that suggests some form of gratification at the time of its impending activation. It is likely that if it turns out that Trump loses the election, there will be some form of celebration to expect with Jupiter involved so close to November 5. If Trump doesn’t once again announce his win even if not true, it is likey he may be pleased with the outcome anyway. Perhaps it is time to look at the situation that he is a man looking to be in the public eye, but time is not so much a friend of his and even getting more challenging.

Harris on the other hand has a momentum that may seem intimidating for anyone running against her. She is moving forward along with the US progressed Moon, which is something to not take lightly. The aspects the US progressed Moon makes with planets in Harris’ birth chart seem to be sweeping her up in the momentum of change that the Progressed New Moon symbolizes.

 

*October 12, 2024 at 29 Capricorn 39

Read about Biden and his candidacy for president in 2020: King or President? Candidate Joe Biden

For more about the US Pluto Return see: Birth and Remaking of America

Both Trump and Harris have the ominous configuration called a Sharp Destiny.

Elon Musk and Mars

The Man and His Accomplishments

Elon Musk was born in South Africa. He moved to Canada in the summer of 1989 and after living and working there for three years he moved to the United States. To summarize his vast achievements, he is known for his roles as a business magnate, industrial designer, and engineer. He is the founder and CEO of SpaceX, CEO of Tesla, Inc., founder of The Boring Company, co-founder of Neuralink, and co-founder of PayPal and OpenAI.

Planetary Association with Mars

Musk’s core ambition and life’s mission center on establishing a human presence on Mars, fueled by his profound commitment to ensuring humanity’s survival beyond Earth’s potential demise. His passion for multiplanetary habitation, specifically with Mars, resonates deeply with his astrological birth chart where the planet Mars prominently stands out among the other nine planets. This remote, celestial positioning of Mars brings the planet into High Focus.1 In astrological terms, this ultra focus of Mars changes its keyword from initiative when in normal strength while located closely among the other planets to indomitable to describe a native capable of unwavering resolve and determination.

Set apart from all other planetary influences in the Splay Temperament Type,2 Mars serves as the Reins planet in control of the two other and distinct groupings of planets. This threefold dynamic encourages a pyramiding of personality traits and talents that results in the native’s ever-increasing impact on others. The unbroken flow of energies from one segment to another fosters an accumulation of personal power and even obstinacy over time.

In a 2012 episode of 60 minutes Musk was asked by the interviewer why he continued to launch unmanned boosters after three had failed to reach orbit. His answer, “To stop I would have to be dead or incapacitated, I don’t ever give up” Here Musk expresses the relentless force that a High Focus Mars can muster. Eight weeks after his third failure the fourth attempt achieved a successful liftoff.

The Mars Sabian Symbol

A preview of the possible outcome of the conquest of Mars is aptly revealed in the planet’s Sabian symbol:

AQUARIUS 21 A woman disappointed and disillusioned This is a symbol of the inevitable distress of the human soul whenever it seeks any enduring sustainment from elements without anchorage in its own nature, dramatized in the negative symbolism by the futility of its attempted fulfillment through a capitalization on purely physical assets of self. The deeper potentials of the being afford the real possibilities of self-discovery, and personal frustrations are a challenge to a genuine self-realization rather than a denial of opportunity. The keyword is CLEARANCE. When positive, the degree is the self’s inherent gift for pressing on and gaining increased powers with every setback, and when negative, the acceptance of all defeat as final.

The prospect of ultimately colonizing human life on Mars may represent a lofty aspiration for some, but it’s unlikely to serve as the actual salvation of humanity. Mars’ atmosphere, comprised of 95% carbon dioxide3 with only traces of oxygen, prevents an easy adaptation to the red planet. Humanity is also likely to export its tendency to pollute its surroundings as well as fail to act with maturity within its new social environment. The result would be a repetition of the circumstances that led to the inhabiting of Mars in the first place. These unfortunate factors may bring about profound disappointment and disillusionment as the Sabian symbol implies for those hoping to surmount the formidable challenge of life on Mars.

Given Musk’s substantial resources, one might argue that investing billions into programs aimed at uplifting inner-city communities on earth might be a better expenditure. By fostering positive goals for youth and providing supportive parental figures would appear to be a more impactful use of funds to many observers of Musk’s ambitions. This suggestion represents just one pragmatic alternative among countless other possibilities available any wealthy visionary like Musk.

The Mercury Sabian Symbol

Mercury is rising and therefore in High Focus with the following revealing Sabian symbol:

CANCER 15 A group of people who have overeaten and enjoyed it This is a symbol of the inescapable richness of life in any normal manifestation of itself, here given emphasis on the side of the rewards which come to man as a result of his own efforts. There are penalties whenever he attempts to freeze the present as a promise for the future or seeks to overindulge himself in one direction as compensation for the consequences of inadequacy in another, but individuality in its fullness has recurrent and consistent assurance that its potentials will not be dissipated. The keyword is SATIETY. When positive, the degree is an effective and smooth demonstration of human competence, and when negative, a self-disintegrating surrender to appetite.

This interpretation of this Sabian symbol suggests the potential folly of investing unlimited resources into a project that may serve as a substitute for addressing unresolved dilemmas on Earth. Viewing Mars as a safe haven could be seen as an escapist approach, deflecting attention from responsibility to our true home planet.

The Sun Sabian Symbol

The Sun, symbolizes one’s fundamental role or life purpose. With the image of Game birds feathering their nest, it appears that musk’s primary aim is to create a home base whether that be on Earth or potentially on Mars, even if his aspiration leans towards science fiction.

CANCER 6 Game birds feathering their nests This is a symbol of the unlimited degree to which the spirit of man may develop and preserve its initiative by utilizing the natural course of things in the world at large, and of the satisfaction anyone may know through his conscious participation in a group destiny. Individuality flourishes whenever it is able to establish its personal rights over some desirable segment of reality, and thereupon justify its own being by fulfilling the expectation of others. The keyword is METICULOUSNESS. When positive, the degree is high intelligence and skill in enlisting the potentials of experience for the service of self, and when negative, unnecessary concern over everyday security.

It’s intriguing to consider whether the negative aspect of the Sun’s Sabian symbol serves as a motivation in Musk’s pursuit of the transformation of Mars into a surrogate home planet for humanity. While the Sabian symbols provide symbolic imagery and insight, interpreting them directly in relation to Musk’s motivations would be speculative but nonetheless revealing. The symbols are just one small lens in which to view the horoscope and life of this complex and controversial, public figure. The most fascinating element in the end is the stand alone Mars in the horoscope of a stand alone man obsessed with the planet’s conquest.

 

  1. Any planet situated in a special circumstance in the horoscope is High Focus. Chapter Two, pg 75, Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington 1970.
  2. Temperament Types define seven responses to life in general, based on the configuration of the planets in the horoscope as a whole. Chapter Two, pg 27, Essentials of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington 1970.
  3. Carbon Dioxide is a waste gas that moves from the blood to the lungs and is expelled through exhaled breath. Humans breath in oxygen for survival and breath out carbon dioxide necessary for plant life.

 

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Her Astrological Condition

Having wealth and influence may shield you from many external challenges, but it cannot guard against the internal struggles posed by nature. The Princess of Wales finds herself grappling with this very issue, and astrology eerily reflects her situation.

While the average astrologer adheres to more commonly used methods, some are privy to the significance of the deeper and relatively hidden stations in secondary progressions. This is precisely the planetary activity occurring in the Princess’s progressions that relating directly to the unexpected cancer diagnosis. Progressed Mars stations to turn retrograde 42 days after birth, relating to the native’s 42nd year of life. This critical astrological event falls squarely at time of her personal crisis.

Taking several years to complete, progressed Mars is on its way to station near natal Saturn at 21 Libra 50. Going in retrograde motion may offer the Princess some respite, although Saturn’s involvement often signifies particularly grave demands.

Marc Edmund Jones explains the following concerning progressed stations (1):

Planetary Stations are established when a planet in secondary progression appears to come to a rest in the zodiac and begins to move retrograde instead of direct or vice versa . . . The phenomenon in progressions always identifies a subtle or psychological shift in the fundamental course of life such as requires a critical regrasp of experience and often proves to be an adjustment over an appreciable span of time whether marked by some single sharp event of easy identification or by a complex syndrome of changes of less obvious interrelation.

In this case, the diagnosis of cancer was marked by “a single sharp event of easy identification” as Jones explains as one of the ways to identify a time of challenge and transformation.

The Princess of Wales will undergo yet another significant progressed station as Jupiter is due to turn retrograde at age 45. Whether this brings similar concerns or presents new ones, it certainly suggests further hurdles for her to navigate.

Stationary planets are powerful in transits as well, bringing Pluto to the fore with its station at 5 Aquarius 31 minutes in May 2026. Here the station comes very close to an exact conjunction with natal Mercury. The 6th house governs the state of health and one’s needed adjustments in life style that offer a path to well-being. While no specific predictions are made here, it does warrant attention to potential future health issues. The 6th house also refers to duties to be performed under pressure. Great effort to accomplish daily responsibilities may present problems to overcome.

Astrology charts future events whether perceived as positive or negative experiences. Being aware of upcoming astrological factors allows us to adapt and make concerted efforts to understand what the planetary aspects expect from us in response. Prior awareness also provides us an opportunity to navigate challenges more gracefully rather than facing them head-on without prior preparation.

It is also important to note that these present and upcoming progressed and transit stations are not only precursors for ill health, they are also pointing to a time when the Princess will be elevated to her expected position as Queen. Aspects in astrology are neither solely good nor bad, but rather range the full spectrum of experience, and in the Princess’ case, they indeed represent an extreme of possibilities that most individuals will never be faced with in their lifetimes.

 

 

(1) From the Scope of Astrological Prediction 

Progressed Stationary Planets and Their Sabian Symbols – 1991 Fall of the Soviet Union

The most outstanding progressed aspect corresponding with the fall of the Soviet Union in December of 1991, was the station of Venus going retrograde after 74 years of Communist rule. This important dynamic aspect,1 based on the chart of the Bolshevik Revolution that took place on November 7, 1917, shines much light on the economic upheaval, value changes, and general discontent with political inequality taking place in the Soviet Union at the time. Venus rules a nation’s economy, and during the tense period of the attempted coup d’état by hardline Communists, the progressed station of Venus was buttressed by a transit of Venus stationing from August to September 1991.  

Marc Edmund Jones describes in his Scope of Astrological Prediction2 that progressed stationary planets, going retrograde or direct, indicate a time for a radical change in the life of a person or nation. This unique feature of the progressed charting calls for a turning away from obsolete routines, habits, and behaviors by becoming aware of issues needing reevaluation and renewal in self or country. New methods of resolving difficulties can emerge with stark revelations which may then lead to the fulfillment of present and future needs. Totally new ways of acting and attitudes need to be developed. In Marc Edmund Jones’ words:

Planetary Stations are established when a planet in secondary progression appears to come to a rest in the zodiac and begins to move retrograde instead of direct or vice versa. If the change is to retrograde the indication is more personal or intimate and if to direct it is more impersonal.

The phenomenon in progressions always identifies a subtle or psychological shift in the fundamental course of life such as requires a critical regrasp of experience and often proves to be an adjustment over an appreciable span of time whether marked by some single sharp event of easy identification or by a complex syndrome of changes of less obvious interrelation.

In the case of the Soviet Union, one can easily observe that the government and its people were in a great transition, one that obviously called for a serious regrasp of the entire situation. The progressed Venus station in 1991, occurs in the auspicious Sabian symbol degree of a Butterfly emerging from its chrysalis. This image is the symbolic testimony of a country in the midst of transformative times. The butterfly represents the potential freedom won through discarding the chrysalis of worn-out and stifling political circumstances.

AQUARIUS 29 Butterfly emerging from chrysalis This is a symbol of humanity’s insatiable appetite for experience on the side of an intellectual self-assurance, and of the nascent eagerness of the conscious self for a complete or effective grasp of all possible knowledge. There is a continually self-renewing purity of man’s mind at root, and he somehow feels that nature herself springs from her over-all potential as spontaneously as his own ideas come forth from the formless matrix of his inner being. The keyword is EMANATION. When positive, the degree is uncompromising faith in the promise of existence itself and in the wonders of a continuing creation, and when negative, utterly sluggish response to reality.

The Soviet Union was plagued by recurring upheaval and redirections during its relatively short history, synchronous with its numerous progressed planetary stations throughout its lifespan. Looking back to 1936, we find the progressed station of Saturn revealing the mystery surrounding the great purge orchestrated by Josef Stalin. Through the threat of death, he eliminated all possible opposition to his rule. This demonstrates the power of symbolism in its negative or reverse form through the Sabian symbol, A pageant at 14 Leo 32. Stalin sought to exhibit the fruits of his achievements for a heightening of self-significance which only encouraged the continuance of the evil dictatorship so prevalent in Europe at the time.

LEO 15 A pageant This is a symbol of man’s constant delight in exhibiting the fruits of his achievement, and of a naïveté dramatized in the world of everyday through a very human pride in common works and co-operative accomplishment. There is high magic in the public display of all the things in which the least of individuals may have had some minor part, and out of it comes a sense of fellowship through which the whole is revealed in an over-all excellence and every last inarticulate ideal somehow is exalted. The keyword is DEMONSTRATION. When positive, the degree is an irresistible heightening of self-significance across the whole face of experience, and when negative, unconvincing claims and embarrassing self-assertion. 

In 1965, progressed Mercury stationed to turn retrograde to usher in a new cycle that took twenty years to unfold. The older hardline generation, trained under Stalin, began to die out and give way to a more relaxed form of proselytizing under Khrushchev and Brezhnev. By 1985, Mercury turned stationary direct at 3 degrees Capricorn 28 and is associated with the Sabian symbol of A party entering a large canoe. Following the death of General Secretary Konstantin Chernenko on March 10, 1985, Politburo member Mikhail Gorbachev became the new General Secretary of the Soviet Union. This indicated the apparent decision to unite the previously provincial nation with the world outside its borders and toward the West. Gorbachev was given the “oars” as his rise to power corresponded exactly in that year with progressed Mercury station direct. 

CAPRICORN 4 A party entering a large canoe This is a symbol of man’s necessary adjustment of the practical details in his immediate environment as a preliminary to any personal participation in experience, and of his greater concern with these at times than with the real ends in view. Here also is his desire for the approval of his fellows before he commits himself, and his determination to involve them in whatever commands his own attention. The individual is sure of himself as he acts with others. The keyword is ORDERING. When positive, the degree is exceptional capacity for bringing all proper relationships to a point of effectiveness in any given exigency of everyday affairs, and when negative, inability to get along with anybody.

Gorbachev continued a bit unsteady as he rode the wave of another great turnabout during the progressed Venus station of 1991. At that moment in Soviet history, the Venus station synchronized with a basic struggle for a more satisfying ideal and ethic to rally around, as well as with the desperate need for practical solutions to economic problems, some as simple as food distribution. It was apparent that a totally new structure of government needed to be installed to replace the Communist regime. In reality, however, communism in its root concepts, defined in Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto had never been truly practiced in the Soviet Union. On the contrary, it appeared that Soviet officials filled the empty shoes the hitherto dreaded bourgeois used to wear. Instead of abolishing classes, those considering themselves the proletariat before the 1917 revolution soon after became the new bourgeois.

The horoscope of the Soviet Union is set up for the revolution of November 7, 1917, at 1:02 PM in Petrograd (present-day St. Petersburg).  On that date, transit Neptune stands out in importance for the incoming governing body through its station going retrograde at 7 Leo 07. Neptune, associated with social equality, inequality, and the dissolving of separatist boundaries was in the Sabian degree of none other than A Bolshevik propagandist. This is the most uncanny and literal form of confirmation of celestial intelligence, given voice through Sabian symbol messaging, as they correspond with earthly affairs.

LEO 8 A Bolshevik propagandist This is a symbol of the indomitable expectation of the human spirit as it gathers strength from the innermost reaches of man’s own or enduring nature, here emphasized by the recurrent battles over social and political concepts. The exceptional dynamic involved is seen in the selfless energy developed to an extreme by the revolutionists of each new age. Implicit in the reversed symbolism is the need of the human community for a worthy cause to which to rally in every aspect of its potentials. The keyword is LEAVEN. When positive, the degree is a determination to share the soul’s vision and to make a permanent impact on history, and when negative, futile ranting against a multitude of superficial ills.

 

  1. Dynamic aspects are the progressed and transit planetary interactions with the natal planets.
  2. Scope of Astrological Prediction, Marc Edmund Jones.

A Royal Sharp Destiny – Queen Elizabeth II

Orbiting planets work in pairs of positive and negative expression. Astrologers often pair the planets but differ in their choice of couplings. Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926 at 2:40 am in London, England. The planetary pairs used in the analysis of the Queen’s chart are those defined by Marc Edmund Jones. The pairs are the Sun and Moon, the planets of Vitality; Mars and Venus the planets of Efficiency; Jupiter and Saturn, the planets of Motivation; and Uranus and Neptune, the planets of Significance. The planetary pairs are used to determine what Jones calls the Mode of Self-Integration.1 The technique reveals the way in which an individual integrates their talents and abilities with the opportunities their environment offers.

The graph on page 154 of Jones’ Essentials of Astrological Analysis assists in determining which psychological approach an individual should adopt in the pursuit of their life objectives. The six possible modes of integration with the physical world are personal or impersonal circumstances determined by an emphasis of the houses, subjective or objective function defined by the signs and disjunctive or conjunctive activity defined by the planets. The planetary pairs are applied to the graph with the results offering the best means to accomplish one’s goals.

The simplest indication in a chart for integrating the self within society is when two of the planetary pairs form major aspects and two do not. This ideal balance in the psyche facilitates individuals with a clear, outward direction of intent. A mental imbalance can occur when three or all pairs are found in major aspect. It can cause a need for the native to take more time in the orientation of their approach in the process of accomplishing goals. The difficulty arises when a plethora of thoughts vie for attention within the mind, thus canceling out what would otherwise be simple decision-making under the ideal of only two of the four pairs in major aspect. When no pairs are in major aspect there is an under stimulation of initiative, with a resulting feeling of ineptitude and lack of direction in general. When no pairs are aspected, or when one, three or all pairs are in major aspect, a dominant two pairs can be identified through symmetry2 within the overall planetary patterning.

The Queen’s Mode of Self-Integration

Queen Elizabeth’s chart shows the ideal situation with two pairs that are in major aspect and two that are not. The pairs in major aspect are Jupiter-Saturn and the Sun-Moon. This defines subjective function as the Queen’s Mode of Self-Integration. The Queen, although very young when first ascending the throne, became a monarch who rose to the occasion primarily with a reliance on subjective values with the desire to follow the dictates of her own mind and heart. She accepted her royal role with an ease of alignment of inner and outer rapport, and for the most part, kept her own council throughout her long reign. She most likely from early childhood, ruminated about the possibility of taking on grave responsibilities at some point in her life, and the inner poise with which she accepted her duties gives testimony to a well-balanced subjective functioning in consciousness.

The T Cross

The oppositions from the 1st to the 7th house of the chart are intercepted and allow the Queen to be discreet and avoid the public display of any conflicts between herself and others. The north and south nodes rest on the ascendant-descendant meridian. The north node in the 7th house points her attention toward the direct interaction with others and downplays any over-concern with personal needs that the 1st house represents.

Both opportunities and challenges are created by the polarization of planets from the 1st to 7th houses. The tension created by these multiple oppositions has its release through Saturn elevated at the Midheaven and in square aspect with the four planets forming the foundational opposition aspect to which Saturn becomes the outlet of energies.

King George VI died unexpectedly when the 25-year-old princess was in Kenya on a tour of the Commonwealth. When it came time for her to give up her personal involvements, she willingly and responsibly took on the role that was thrust upon her. Her father is symbolically reflected in the planet Saturn, which rules the paternal figure, and its placement in tight conjunction with the Midheaven shows the potential for worldly power. The planet is in High Focus when both conjunct the Midheaven and elevated but is also in Point Focus of the powerful T Cross. Undoubtedly, Saturn represents the signature mark of rulership shown in the chart. This powerful potential could have been recognized from birth by any knowledgeable astrologer. Saturn’s dominant position in the chart revealed a destiny to wield power and influence at some point in the Queen’s life.

The Sharp Destiny

When Jupiter and Saturn, the planetary pair of Motivation, form a conjunction, square or opposition aspect, they create what Jones calls a Sharp Destiny.3 A person with one of these three “hard” aspects in their chart is compelled, in three distinct ways, to live up to their highest potentials. In the case of the Queen, she rose to the occasion in royal fashion. In a speech three days after her death, King Charles said of his beloved mother, “Queen Elizabeth’s was a life well lived, a promise that destiny kept.”4 A Loose Destiny is found when the pair of Motivation is in sextile, trine, or not in major aspect. Life then is lived with less pressure to follow the standards imposed by others or by moral considerations from within.

The Queen’s dedication to her service as the monarch of not only her country but for the ages, was living under the influence of a powerful impulse to do the right thing under all conditions. Living under the influence of a Sharp Destiny is well-described by Jones in his Essentials:

Jupiter and Saturn in a Square aspect indicates an ordering of life’s fundamental motives, through which the native usually suffers very immediate consequences of the least neglect or abuse of his own potentials. He finds he must fight continually for the ideals in which he has come to take the most consistent interest, and also learns that his conscious well-being is wholly dependent on the moral struggles in which he becomes involved almost inevitably at every stage of his experience. If he does not relish the days in which he seems torn to pieces in self-uncertainty, he must discover ways to tear himself apart deliberately, and in equally painful fashion, on the behalf either of some cause of real significance or some conception that he can dramatize through his own being. Personal existence under this configuration can become either great opportunity, or else a gradual disintegration of the soul in the very core of itself.

The Queen offset any struggle between self-gratification shown by Jupiter in the first house and the need to sacrifice her personal wishes in the fulfillment of the greater good shown by Saturn in both High and Point Focus by viewing the limitations of her fate as a great opportunity rather than as a frustrating sacrifice.

Jupiter is intercepted and therefore only the strait-laced and no-nonsense Saturnian dignity is shown to the public. Only occasionally did the matters of real life’s challenges and frustrations emerge into the light of day for all to witness. The Queen unexpectedly revealed that 1992 was a particularly difficult year with three divorces and the palace literally on fire. The Queen called the year “annus horribilis,” saying, “. . .1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.”5 It is the square of the planets of Motivation that dominated the chart at the time and brought the pressure of difficult circumstances to a point too intense to conceal. In 1992, Pluto was directly conjunct the Queen’s progressed Saturn, and transit Saturn was opposite her natal Moon for a good part of the year. Both transits involved Saturn activating the Sharp Destiny at every turn.

The Outgoing and Incoming Monarchs’ Simultaneous Mercury Progressed Stations

In 2022 the death of the Queen instantly meant that after 73 years Prince Charles would finally be King of England. Although the event of a death cannot be changed, it can be anticipated. With a long history of astrology practiced in the United Kingdom, it is odd that the important coronation was scheduled for May 6, 2023, during transit Mercury’s retrograde period.

Progressed Mercury, stationary retrograde, was an interesting dynamic6 aspect active for King Charles at the time of his mother’s death. Even more fascinating is the fact that at the same time the Queen’s progressed Mercury was also stationing to go retrograde (see ephemeris graphs). Any astrologer looking for a sign of great change in the lives of these two royals would have happily stumbled across this astrological omen pointing to what Marc Edmund Jones explains in his Scope of Astrological Prediction:

Planetary Stations are established when a planet in secondary progression appears to come to a rest in the zodiac and begins to move retrograde instead of direct or vice versa. If the change is to retrograde the indication is more personal or intimate and if to direct it is more impersonal.

The phenomenon in progressions always identifies a subtle or psychological shift in the fundamental course of life such as requires a critical regrasp of experience and often proves to be an adjustment over an appreciable span of time whether marked by some single sharp event of easy identification or by a complex syndrome of changes of less obvious interrelation.7

The obvious events corresponding to the Royals’ duel stationary retrograde Mercuries are for the Queen, an expected withdrawal from public service, and for the incoming King, a time for a critical adjustment to newly imposed responsibilities.

Not only were the Royals experiencing mutually progressed Mercury stations, but they were also in opposite signs within one degree. The Queen’s station of Mercury was 21 Leo 15, while the King’s station was at 20 Aquarius 13. Adding even more emphasis to that unusual configuration between their progressed Mercuries is the transit of Saturn exactly conjunct the King’s station and opposing the Queen’s on the day of her death. Once again, Saturn appears in a timely manner to figure into her very Sharp Destiny. For the Queen, this dynamic station was the marker indicating the turning point and possible departure from the throne of influence, and for King Charles, it literally forced him into the role for which he was preparing for most of his life.

There has always been a close tie between mother and son, seen in the mutual placement of her natal Sun conjunct his natal Moon in his 10th house at 1 degree Taurus. The 10th house represents the parent, either mother or father, who introduces the offspring to the world. For Charles, the Moon in the 10th house identifies his nurturing mother as the parent responsible for that task. To intensify the match made at their midheavens is the close conjunction of the King’s Sun degree at 22 Scorpio 24 with the Queen’s elevated Saturn at 24 Scorpio 27. It was the Queen’s responsibility to strictly, yet sensitively (Saturn), prepare her son for the role (Sun) he was inevitably primed to embrace.

 

  1. The Essentials of Astrological Analysis, by Marc Edmund Jones, Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington. Chapter 2, Self-Ordering.
  2. The Essentials of Astrological Analysis, by Marc Edmund Jones, Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington. 1970, pg.186, symmetry
  3. The Essentials of Astrological Analysis, by Marc Edmund Jones, Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington. 1970 pgs.342-343, Sharp Destiny
  4. King Charles speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9EUPrd_oJw 0:32
  5. https://www.history.com/news/annus-horribilis-queen-elizabeth-royal-scandal-windsor-castle-fire.
  6. Dynamic aspect refers to progression or transits i.e., moving planets, not static as in a birth chart.
  7. Scope of Astrological Prediction, by Marc Edmund Jones, Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington. 1969, pg. 49, progressed stations

How King George VI, the Father of Queen Elizabeth II, Prepared His Daughter for the Throne

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

 

The Birth and Remaking of America – Mercury-Pluto Opposition and Pluto Return

In recent years, Americans and observers worldwide have been captivated by the turmoil within the United States (US) concerning its intense partisan politics. At the same time, media pundits have failed to adequately explain the nature and causes of the political power struggle that continues to challenge the principles of democracy.

Astrologers, however, understand the uniqueness of our times when noting several dynamic aspects1 that have been activating the potentials of the July 4, 1776 birth chart of the United States. The aspects are the April 5, 2017, US progressed Mercury station that synchronized with the commencement of the Trump administration, the present transit of Pluto now well within the parameters of its 248-year pilgrimage-return to its natal degree, and the progressed Moon aspects from 2021 to 2024.

THE UNITED STATES HOROSCOPE

The horoscope of a nation carries great weight in comparison with the chart of an individual, because of its broad reference to the masses, and by its symbolism contributes to a comprehensive understanding of an entire culture. This enduring effect brings with it the responsibility to create a national horoscope with a favorable resonance between the promise of guiding “stars” and the goals of the society in the making. A fortuitous date, time, and place should be chosen with the best planetary configurations that will support the collective’s desired ideals and objectives. During the establishment of the United States, some of the Founding Fathers were Freemasons and involved with metaphysics, yet it is unknown if their practices included the use of astrology, and if so, whether Electional horoscopy was used in the choice of the inaugural time for the Declaration of Independence. Whether the union was formed with a consideration of celestial factors or by chance, the planetary patterning on July 4, 1776, contained the seeds that would determine the nation’s destiny.

The origin of American thought took its cues from Europe’s Age of Enlightenment, whose thinkers believed they could “create better societies and better people.” Intellectuals from both continents traveled between the old and new worlds during America’s mounting revolution. In his pamphlet, Common Sense,2 published six months prior to the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Paine proclaimed, “The birthday of a new world is at hand.”  The Englishman’s philosophy played an important role in creating the new paradigm that clarified the benefits of a republic versus monarchy. His widely distributed writings helped prod-to-arms the tattered soldier on the colonial battlefield, and when reaching the common citizen, gave them reason to rally to the revolution in lockstep with the Founders’ intent to form a union based on the protection of human rights through democratic elections and legislation.

The most revealing astrological factor defining the stark transition from monarchy to an emerging democracy was Mercury in station-retrograde at the time of America’s establishment. The station nurtured the extraordinary mental activity required of its leaders for the development of an American ethos and for laying the ground for inestimable levels of achievement to be reached by its free and aspiring populace.

Virginia’s Thomas Jefferson, who incidentally had a transit of Pluto passing over his natal Uranus in 1776, was tasked with drafting the Declaration of Independence. This was simply a Mercurial function, and with his eloquent narrative style, he definitively explained, point by point, the causes that provoked the Patriot colonists to revolt and engage in battle against the Loyalists to Great Britain’s King George III. Jefferson’s writings introduced what he considered to be “an expression of the American mind.” Not born of originality nor a derivative of established thought, the American perspective, he explained in later years, simply reflected the needs of the time.3

The inner ponderings of America’s Founders materialized objectively with the Second Continental Congress’s approval of the Declaration of Independence at 1:52 am4 on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With this decision, the colonists officially severed ties with the British Crown to reach their goal of establishing separate yet united states in accordance with the heavenly configurations of the moment. Dr. Marc Edmund Jones, in his Mundane Perspectives in Astrology,5 based his US chart’s time on the popular use of Gemini rising by several notable astrologers of his day, and by the authorization of the American Federation of Astrologers. With a bit of rectification Jones settled on a 3 Gemini 34 ascendant.

BIRTHING A NATION UNDER A MERCURY STATION

In the segment on Collective Nativities in Mundane Perspectives, Jones designates Mercury in his US chart diagram as stationary-retrograde. However, the ephemeris for 1776 shows the station to be exact on June 28, just days before the announcement of independence in early July. Planetary stations, whether in transit or progression, point to a crescendo in the development of events that facilitates a psychological shift in perspective resulting in a dramatic transformation of existential affairs. Jones explains the virtual phenomenon in his Scope of Astrological Prediction as a pivotal period demanding “a critical regrasp of experience.” 6 Unlike transit stations, which need to aspect a natal planet by conjunction or opposition to be effective for chart interpretation, a progressed station need not make an aspect with a birth planet, and is often associated with events somewhat in advance or some time after their pause to change direction.

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