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.

An Astrological Profile of the Assassination of Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe was born into a lineage of politicians. Several in the family held public office including Abe’s father who as a youth trained to become a Kamikaze pilot. However, that was short-lived when WWII ended before his training was completed. Some relatives holding office were more liberal than Abe, who was Japan’s longest-running Prime Minister and known to be a staunch conservative of the Liberal Democratic Party.

The astrological portrait of Abe’s assassination is stunning, with the usual planetary players in prominent roles on the stage set for July 8, 2022, in Nara, Japan. Although there are few guns and killings in Japan, thanks to harsh gun laws, this one high-profile killing rocked Japan and the rest of the world.

A PROGRESSION AND TRANSIT IN TANDEM

The progressed Mars was activated by a conjunction of transit Saturn with both pointed at Abe’s natal Pluto. This is a sure sign of planetary stress in the horoscope and in life and ultimately led to the violent act which in better circumstances might have expressed itself in more constructive and forgiving ways. These characteristics were missing in the mind and actions of the assassin on that fateful morning. When destiny is in the hands of evildoers, as it was when the 41-year-old took Abe’s life with a homemade rifle, a thorough probe into the cause of the devastating action is sparked. It is clear, that the astrological factors at the time of the shooting were foreboding on the one hand while earthly circumstances mirrored them with a revolting, existential drama on the other.

The progressed Mars and transit Saturn were forming for several years, ever inching toward the threatening opposition to natal Pluto. The inauspicious alignment of Saturn steadied the aim of Mars as it directed its fiery force in the form of that handmade gun. The transit to progression aiming at Pluto developed into a highly lethal lineup of ominous planets, proving through the tragic event, that astrology does indeed reflect worldly affairs whether for good or ill.

Taking note of the fact there is no known time of birth, the natal chart is set up for 12 noon, appropriate for the planetary map of a public figure. The inner wheel of the progressed planets shows Mars at 25 Aquarius 28, within 15 minutes of its exact opposition with Pluto. However, the most profound astrological dynamic in the mix, adding weight to an already overwhelming force of negative energy focused on an unwary victim, was Pluto stationing in secondary progressions. Pivoting to turn retrograde as Abe approached his sixty-eighth year, the station of Pluto alone was enough to create severe upheaval. Mars and Saturn added a formidable force against which the victim had no protective shield.

PROGRESSED PLANETARY STATIONS

Marc Edmund Jones states in his Scope of Astrological Prediction:

Planetary Stations are established when a planet in secondary progression appears to come to 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 turning direct it is more impersonal.

The phenomenon in secondary 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.

The shift in the course of life for Abe was unfortunately the termination of his life. In his case there was no need for a personal “regrasp of experience,” however, as Pluto indicates the community at large, it is the people he left behind that must pick up the pieces and go forward in their lives in an entirely new way.

CONTRIBUTING TRANSIT ASPECTS

Transit Pluto seen in the outer wheel of the tri-wheel is opposite both Jupiter and Uranus, and at the same time, transit Neptune is directly opposite the natal Sun. The Sun represents Abe himself as the target of the aspecting, diffusive planetary energies. While transit Saturn was making its conjunction with progressed Mars in opposition to Pluto, the faster transiting Moon marked the decisive moment with its brief but penetrating conjunction with progressed Neptune. On the morning of the grievous event, all the transits and progressions clustered in forbidding formation to define an intolerable yet predictable moment in time.

THE PROGRESSED LUNATION

In 2020, Shinzo Abe resigned from his position as Prime Minister for the second and final time. Corresponding to that specific year was a Progressed Lunation that always indicates the end of a cycle of experience and an opening of new possibilities ahead. It was the dropping away of public life to direct the native’s attention toward the healing of a chronic disease that once again plagued his personal and everyday life. The three planets in Cancer and Sun in Virgo would naturally point to digestion as a factor in Abe’s health. The actual date of the Progressed Lunation is dubious because the time of birth is unknown. The Moon’s position is also not certain which makes the calculation of the exact Lunation impossible. However, Progressed Lunations possess a wide orb allowance of months if not years on either side of the actual conjunction of the progressed Moon to the progressed Sun. The indication at the very least, points to 2020 as a year bringing significant challenges and change into the native’s life.

All the planetary indicators gathered in unison to produce a shocking, tragic event that could have been noted ahead of time if there was any reason to believe that Abe in his normally peaceful homeland was in any way threatened. Astrology can anticipate future stresses and their potentials. In this way, the extraordinary powers of celestial forces continue to fascinate the curious and probing mind of the astrologer.

 

  1. The Scope of Astrological Prediction, by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington, 1969 – pg. 49

 

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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King of the Fairies Meets the Queen of England – President Joe Biden, Queen Elizabeth

When the King of the fairies meets the Queen of England they need no introduction. President Joe Biden met with the Queen Elizabeth of England on June 13, 2021. It was amidst his first international trip since the Covid pandemic and was dotted with other important stops along the way.

The comparison chart for the monarch and president show two interesting bonds between them. Although unaware of the astrological connections, they both share a zodiacal degree with the Sabian symbol rounded to 1 degree Taurus, A clear mountain stream. The Queen’s Sun lies in 0 Taurus 12, applying in a conjunction aspect to Biden’s Moon at 0 Taurus 59.

Taurus 1 A clear mountain stream This is the symbol of the individual spirit in its irrepressibility, and of the purity and excellence of its real sources of strength. Here man is freed from any necessity to meet the superficial limitations of life in any particular way or to conform to any pattern of events except as there is genuine contribution to an overall consistency in its self-expression. The keyword is RESOURSCOUFULNESS. When positive, the degree is high achievement through an unswerving fidelity to some definite course of action, and when negative, a tendency to waste the potentialities of being by endless self-ramifications.1

Tragedies have loomed over both of their lives, and so they may find solace in each other’s sensibilities as well as sharing a sense of dignity and care for others. The mutual connection of their Lights proves a tie between them that is personal, which figures into their interaction in a way that must go beyond political interests.

The Bidens were advised not to bow to the Queen as they are not her subjects. This well suits a surreptitious king of sorts, since his Sun is in the Sabian symbol The king of the fairies approaching his domain. Biden’s Sun lies in the spiritual and karmic 12th house where none but the deep-of-soul can penetrate into the inner sanctum of his psyche. Here is a man of spirit who wished to practice his beliefs through the vehicle of political philosophy and practice. Finally, he reached his desired goal to “rule” as President of the United States when elected in 2020.

Biden said of the Queen:2 “She was very gracious,” the President told reporters Sunday at Heathrow Airport after he and First Lady Jill Biden held a private audience with the Queen at Windsor Castle. “She reminded me of my mother,” he added. With the Queen’s Sun “tapping” on Biden’s Moon, it is no wonder she reminded him of his mother.

Biden’s Sun degree is among a limited number of images in the Sabian series which express an otherworldly energy described by fairylike or elfin sort of creatures.3

SCORPIO 28 The king of the fairies approaching his domain This is a symbol of the eternal promise underlying all inner self-realization, since any actual fullness of life is altogether independent of the passing state of affairs in a world of time and space. Implicit in the symbolism is the futility of man’s common reliance on people and things through some mere accident of contact. Outer reality takes the form with which he endows it as he exercises his sovereignty over its various potentials in the creative realms of his own imagination. The keyword is ALLEGIANCE. When positive, the degree is a special competence of inward vision and a consequent outward perspective of high effectiveness, and when negative, capricious self-indulgence.

The Queen’s Saturn is close to Biden’s Sun in the 12th house, although not within the 1 degree orb Jones uses when comparing horoscopes. The Queen Saturn is the Point Focus of a T-Cross and is squared by Jupiter and Mars on one side in opposition to Neptune on the other. Saturn’s presence and meaning is magnified by its position as the Reins planet of her Splay Temperament Type. It is her most important planet because it is both In High Focus as well as Point Focus of the T-Cross just mentioned.

The Queen’s Saturn Degree:

SCORPIO 25 An X ray This is a symbol of man’s organic integrity, or of the unvarying structures of nature on which all intelligence depends. There is here an emphasis on the wellbeing of each individual as a foundation for his self-realization in the world he shares with his fellows, and on his responsibility to keep himself fit for the performance of his part in the common functioning. He recognizes himself as the measure of all effective reality, and sees everything around him as a continual revelation or validation of his own capacity. The keyword is INVESTIGATION. When positive, the degree is an exceptional power of analysis, and when negative, uncritical over-sensitiveness to both the condition of self and the state of society.

The Queen was a royal by bloodline, the King of the fairies by Sabian calling. The astrologer sees something more than what would otherwise be just a meeting of allies.

 

  1. Sabian Symbols in Astrology by Marc Edmund Jones, Stanwood Publishing.
  2. People.com

Truth on Trial – Adam Schiff, “You Might Think That’s Okay”

Adam Schiff’s comprehensive grasp of the factors involved in the impeachment of Donald J. Trump is reflected in the Sabian Symbol of his Sun-Venus Cazimi (1) at 2 degrees Cancer, A man suspended over a vast level place. (2)

The symbol reveals Schiff’s ability to comprehend the broad scope of detail concerning the trial, as shown when he eloquently delivers the talking-points in the videos below. This will certainly assure him of a place in political history, especially concerning the unprecedented Trump administration.

The inquiry into the allegations that Trump manipulated Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, to force his assistance to smear Trump’s rival Joe Biden, took place between September and November 2019.  These events coincide with Schiff’s 2nd Saturn Return.

The articles of impeachment charged Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. On December 18, 2019, the House of Representatives voted to impeach the 45th President of the United States. The impeachment will forever be remembered as part of Trump’s presidential legacy.

 

 

(1) Cazimi is a conjunction of two or more planets with the Sun, within 17 minutes of arc. It superpowers the energies and meaning of the planets through being located within the core of the Sun. Planets in normal orb of a conjunct with the Sun are considerably weakened.

(2) Sabian Symbols in Astrology, pg 240

CANCER 2 A man suspended over a vast level place This is a symbol of man’s capacity for an illimitable overview of his experience in advance of his involvement in its details, and of the infinite ramification of possibilities he is able to uncover in the world he seeks to make his own. Implicit in the negative symbolism is the poise in act by which he escapes the bondage of any random compulsions, and a leisure in perspective which preserves his free choice. The keyword is CONTEMPLATION. When positive, the degree is an exceptional spread of comprehension and a continual self-orientation of understanding, and when negative, a flighty transcendence or an impatience with all immediate or down-to-earth considerations.

(3) Essentials of Astrological Analysis, pg 342-43 – Sharp and Loose Destiny. 

(4) An example of outrageous verbal abuse spoken by the world’s most powerful leader is the contents of the twitter feed by Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump – at 6:37 AM  on Jan 25, 2020: “Our case against lyin’, cheatin’, liddle’ Adam “Shifty” Schiff, Cryin’ Chuck Schumer, Nervous Nancy Pelosi, their leader, dumb as a rock AOC, & the entire Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrat Party, starts today at 10:00 A.M. on @FoxNews, @OANN or Fake News @CNN or Fake News MSDNC!”

 

KING or PRESIDENT? Approaching His Domain – Candidate, Joe Biden

Difficulties arise when attempting to predict the outcome of an election between several candidates because both or all individuals will be displaying multiple planetary aspects at the time of the intense competition. One might think that aspects with the benefic Jupiter, in contrast with Saturn, the more challenging planet, would indicate a favorable outcome, however, Jupiter has often been seen prominent in stressful and sometimes over-indulgent situations. Saturn, on the other hand, can point to positive responsibility thrust upon an individual and is not always referring to disappointing and limiting conditions. Also, to take into consideration is that the outer slow-moving planets that conjunct or oppose natal planets are not always indicators of unfavorable outcomes. These hard aspects are notorious for bringing about radical change and should not be feared as only harbingers defeat. Jimmy Carter, for example, had transit Pluto in orb of a conjunction with his natal Sun in Libra at the time he was catapulted into the limelight as the most powerful leader in the world. Pluto could just as easily have thrown him a crushing and defeating blow that would have negated any future desire to remain active in the political arena.

Regardless of aspect variables, astrologers are continually tempted to make predictions, even though it is tantamount to the art of guessing. With presidential elections, there’s a 50-50 chance of getting it right, and those are not bad odds. With all this being said, a look into the planetary activity in candidate Joe Biden’s horoscope, calculated for the time of the general elections on November 3, 2020, is in order. The candidate’s transits and progressions lean toward a favorable outcome. They are; the transits of Saturn and Pluto opposite natal Jupiter; the progressed Mercury station; the Mercury progressed station conjunct transits Saturn and Pluto opposite natal Jupiter; the progressed New Moon 2019; the transit sextiles of Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto to natal Mercury and Sun; and the transit of Jupiter opposite natal Pluto at the proposed time of inauguration.

AN AUSPICIOUS SABIAN SYMBOL

One of the most interesting features of Biden’s horoscope is the Sabian Symbol for his Sun degree, The king of the fairies approaching his domain. The degree shows a person with leadership capabilities focused on his own realm of influence, in this case, the United States. Biden’s career has spanned approximately forty-seven years of holding office as a United States Senator from Delaware and eight years as Vice President in the Obama administration. Biden is again on the campaign trail, and now with the hope of attaining the highest office in the land. He approached the presidency several times, running in 1988 and 2008, and is now in his third attempt. There are multiple supportive planetary aspects in his dynamic1 charting that may be of assistance in his present pilgrimage to the domain of the White House, along with configurations of a challenging nature that could turn to his advantage as stated previously.

From The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Dr. Marc Edmund Jones:

SCORPIO 28 The king of the fairies approaching his domain This is a symbol of the eternal promise underlying all inner self-realization since any actual fullness of life is altogether independent of the passing state of affairs in a world of time and space. Implicit in the symbolism is the futility of man’s common reliance on people and things through some mere accident of contact. Outer reality takes the form with which he endows it as he exercises his sovereignty over its various potentials in the creative realms of his own imagination. The keyword is ALLEGIANCE. When positive, the degree is a special competence of inward vision and a consequent outward perspective of high effectiveness, and when negative, capricious self-indulgence.2

Biden’s fairy degree symbol is one of a “handful” of Sabian symbols that exemplify spiritual characteristics.3 They signal that the native affiliated with the symbol must surrender their personal self-fulfillment for the expressed purpose of leading others to a release of theirs. Biden, as a lifelong politician, has dedicated himself to that goal, and in his way, continues to place the needs of the American people above his own. With this special degree, in Biden’s 12th house of inner psychological potentials, his otherworldly and lofty intent may not ever be truly seen, understood, or appreciated by the public, especially by those with a diametrically opposed agenda. Working behind the scenes is how a 12th house Sun functions at its best. With Venus as an ally in the same 12th house, the work he plans with Kamala Harris promises to be significant although discrete.

THE TRANSITS AND PROGRESSIONS

The somewhat ominous transiting Saturn-Pluto conjunction has been opposing the U. S. natal Mercury for most of 2020. The formidable pair are also in opposition to Biden’s natal Jupiter which is at the same time conjunct the U. S. natal Mercury. To add heightened emphasis to this aggregation of planets is Biden’s progressed Mercury at 24 Capricorn 56, pivoting to go direct in the same location as transits Saturn and Pluto. These combined planetary energies make this entire year and campaign period considerably auspicious for the candidate. This progressed Mercury will make its exact and climactic opposition to natal Jupiter in the latter part of 2021. This complex planetary scenario highlights the receptivity between Joe Biden’s Jupiterian persona and the minds of Americans represented by U. S. natal Mercury. The multiple transits and progressed oppositions, across the board, carry the potential for working out differences in an extremely polarized political environment.

Biden’s progressed Mercury station prophesizes radical change, as Dr. Marc Edmund Jones explains in his Scope of Astrological Prediction:

The phenomena in the secondary directions 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.4

The general elections on November 3, 2020, will be the opportunity for the Mercury station to manifest as Jones describes it.

If Biden should experience a single sharp event, such as winning the election, it will lead to the approach to his new domain in the White House, to which his Sun symbol refers. The fulfillment of his ambition will not only transform his own experience, but as a surrogate leader, it will transform the lives of all Americans, who would then be “his subjects,” as any progressed station for a president or king would expect.

THE PROGRESSED NEW MOON

Biden announced his run for the presidency during the heart of his Progressed New Moon on April 25, 2019, shown circled in pink in the single progressed chart. A Progressed New Moon marks a pivotal turning point similar to a progressed planetary station, but in the case of a New Moon, past experience gradually comes to a close to usher in entirely new possibilities that the native may or may not foresee. It can be a period of time where the individual may feel in limbo and challenged by the undetermined path ahead. This astrological dynamic can span several years in its molting process. In Biden’s case, he has his sights set on a definite objective to achieve an ultimate position of power and authority. It is like a “kingship” of sorts that the role would offer a president if the US were not a democracy.

Together, the Progressed New Moon and station-direct Mercury represent an underlying transformation in Biden’s daily life that continues to take hold now and for the next few years. Phenomenally, along with the progressed Mercury station, shown circled in red in the ephemeris graph, is Biden’s progressed Saturn, circled in blue, also stationary-direct, and in this case, the station occurs with a conjunction on the US High Focus Uranus. Circled in green on the graph is Uranus, which will be following the same critical, transitional path as the other two stations with its own station-direct in 2023.

Looking to January 20, 2021, the day set aside for the inauguration of the next president, we can see the possibility of the swearing-in of Joe Biden, thanks to the transit of Pluto, the planet of Probity, advancing to within 10 minutes of arc of his presently high-profile, progressed Mercury, still within its transition from retrograde to direct, in opposition to his natal Jupiter and the U.S. Mercury. If Joe Biden succeeds in winning the White House, one can point to all of these unique planetary aspects as the corresponding celestial counterpart to the fulfillment of his dreams.

Finally, on inauguration day transit Jupiter will come to an exact opposition with Biden’s natal Pluto at 7 Leo 14 in the Sabian degree of A Bolshevik Propagandist.

LEO 8 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.5

Here is the origin of Republican fears, that socialist ideals will be at play in a Biden, Democratic administration. The symbol’s positive expression is “a determination to share the soul’s vision and to make a permanent impact on history.” Perhaps fate will support Biden’s pledge, which was made in his nomination acceptance speech, “to restore the ‘soul of America’ and erase the ‘darkness’ that has descended on the country . . . “6

 

(1) Dynamic aspects relate to the activation of natal planetary potentials by the moving transit and progressed planets.

(2) Page 207, Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington, 1972

(3) Pages 317 – 18 Essentials of Astrological Analysis, by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington, 1970

(4) Page 49, Challenge by Progressed Station, Scope of Astrological Prediction, by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington, 1969

(5) Page 276, Sabian Symbols in Astrology, by Marc Edmund Jones – Sabian Publishing Society, Stanwood, Washington

(6) Demetri Sevastopulo, August 20, 2020, Biden’s presidential nomination acceptance speech. Financial Times article