Jupiter's Debilitation and South Africa's refusal of a visa to the Dalai Lama

I was asked several months ago by a newspaper group and a TV show to make “predictions” about 2009 and what it holds for South Africa.

I noted then that the New South Africa's chart (calculated for midnight of the 27th of April 1994, Pretoria) has Jupiter in the 10th House, and this can translate as “a public image of righteousness and moral rectitude”, or a “principled career”. Whatever South Africa enjoys along the lines of a good reputation internationally is probably a manifestation of this facet of the chart (of course there are other considerations and factors in the New South Africa's chart, some of which are rather more abrasive).

I also observed that Transiting Jupiter is this year passing through the New South Africa's 1st House, and on the face of it one would be tempted to assume that this is a wonderful development. It is typically indicative of much growth and even an enhanced degree of integrity and a heightened concern with morality, philosophy and even religion.

There is a “but”, however...

According to Vedic astrology Jupiter spends much of this year in the sign Capricorn (whereas the Tropical Zodiac used in western astrology places Jupiter in Aquarius during 2009), and Capricorn happens to be the worst possible sign Jupiter can occupy, and this would significantly erode and taint the benign and wise attributes of Jupiter. One could argue that Capricorn is far too materialistic for Jupiter's essential nature to thrive there. Capricorn is associated with business and politics; the core arenas of worldly ambition.

So, during the television interview I mentioned that South Africa may well be more prominent than usual on the world stage during 2009, and the county's moral and even religious attributes and attitudes will be a prominent issue. I did warn though, on the basis of Jupiter's Transit through South Africa's 1st House being in the sign Capricorn, that business and politics aren't easily reconciled with morality and religious wisdom, and that our country would need to be mindful of this since it could undermine the potential benefits of Jupiter's prominent position in this cycle.

South Africa's barring of the Dalai Lama from attending a planned Peace Conference, quite obviously in deference to Chinese wishes to block the Dalai Lama at every opportunity, seems to me a rather clear manifestation of this warning. It's furthermore interesting to me that “COPE”, South Africa's most promising new political party, is headed by a pastor, and there has also lately been some controversy over politicians using churches to deliver their political messages (or should we say propaganda?). Jacob Zuma's recent “sermon” at the Rhema church led to dozens of people walking out in indignation....

"When the Moon is in the 7th House, and Jupiter aligns with Mars...."

I have recently received a few queries about this rumour that the current concentration of planets in the sign Aquarius heralds the “dawning of the Age of Aquarius”, and to be frank, I find it a little amusing that many seem to be taking so seriously the “prophecy” from the hippie musical “Hair”, to the effect the Age of Aquarius begins “when the Moon is in the 7th House and Jupiter aligns with Mars...”. I suspect the writer of the song simply tossed around some relatively random rhyming astrological jargon that had the right prophetic ring to it.

The fact is that Mars and Jupiter will “align” roughly every two years, and the Moon is in the 7th House for about two hours every day. So, the Moon will be in the 7th House whenever Mars and Jupiter “align”. I'm not sure where all the current excitement about 14 February started, but I'd be surprised if it could be traced to an astrologer of standing.

During the past several decades there have been a few astrological events that have been considered by some to be “the signal” that the Age of Aquarius has begun. I believe these have at best been partial truths, and more often than not merely fanciful notions. I say “partial truths” because perhaps the Age of Aquarius would be “anchored” through a series of significant, but relatively minor, astrological events. Jupiter/Saturn Conjunctions, for example, occur every 20 years and are considered important in terms of larger or more general social processes. The last Jupiter/Saturn Conjunction occurred in 2000, and there was then (in May 2000 in particular) a major alignment in the solar system that was arguably far more profound than the current one.

There is unfortunately a lot of hype out there regarding “the end of days” being immanent. I would, for example, be very surprised if 2012 isn't less dramatic than many people are anticipating; and I am not saying there is no significance to that date and the fact that the Mayan “long count” comes to an end then, I simply believe that the “popular wisdom” about it may be less than thoroughly enlightened and that there's an element of sensationalism in the way it is often presented. It will no doubt be discussed with increasing fervour between now and then.

One reason why I do not take the fact that there is currently an alignment of several planets in the sign Aquarius (ignoring for a moment the “Hair Prophecy”) as indicating the beginning of the Age of Aquarius is that the sign Aquarius in which Mars and Jupiter and other planets are now conglomerating is actually the zodiacal constellation of Capricorn, and it is these zodiacal constellations (as opposed to the Tropical Zodiac signs used in western astrology) that are used to time the “Ages”.

The subject is quite technical.

The Sun is said to enter the sign Aries around the 21st of March every year. Note that this date is also the Northern Hemisphere's Spring Equinox. This is very important, because what makes the Sun's position in the heavens at that time “Aries” is NOT the stars or constellation behind the Sun at that time, but the fact that it is the Equinox, and the beginning of the seasonal year. The actual zodiacal constellation behind the Sun on the 21st of March is in fact Pisces, and that is why we are said to be in the Age of Pisces. The zodiac signs used in western astrology are NOT aligned with the actual visible constellations- hence I say that most of the planets in the current Aquarius alignment are in the constellation of Capricorn.

So, the Sun's position at the time of the Northern Hemisphere's Spring Equinox (the Autumn Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere) is the “marker” showing which age or “great month” we are in, and this “marker” moves very gradually backwards (in terms of the usual sequence of the zodiac signs- hence we go from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius) along the actual visible zodiacal constellations. This gradual shifting backwards along the constellations of the Sun's Equinoctal position is due to what is known as the “Precession of the Equinoxes”. This is normally described as a “wobble”, similar to what one sees in a spinning top, in the earths axis that occurs in an approximately 25 000 year cycle.

Now, here's “the rub”. The actual zodiacal constellations do not have very precisely definable boundaries. You can point to the stars that make up the constellation Aquarius easily enough, but where exactly does Aquarius begin and end, how far does it protrude in either side of the stars that compose it? The experts are bound to differ, even if only slightly, and here a degree (out of 360) will equate to about 72 years in terms of the precession cycle. We can only vaguely know that the March equinox is approaching the constellation of Aquarius. Some would say the age of Aquarius has already begun (such as the Tibetan Master Djwal Khul who taught through Alice Bailey, and whom I consider an authority on such things, compared to other modern commentators). From another perspective, however (if you take the Sidereal Zodiac as defining the boundaries of the zodiacal constellations), it won't begin for at least another 300 years or so. It all depends on which measurements and authorities you choose to use and trust.

The guru of Paramahansa Yogananda (author of the spiritual classic Autobiography of a Yogi), Sri Yukteswar, presented an interesting theses on this precession cycle, that is linked to the Vedic concept of “Yugas”, in a book called The Holy Science. According to many (or most) Vedic scholars we entered the 432 000 years of “Kali Yuga” about 5 000 years ago or so. Kali Yuga is considered the “dark age”, and it is believed we will be sinking ever more deeply into the mire for some hundreds of thousands of years to come. “A dark prospect!”, as Sri Yukteswar puts it.

He (fortunately) suggests that these calculations are in error (as a result of the loss of knowledge that resulted from the “dawning” of Kali Yuga), and that in fact Kali Yuga ended at the end of the 19th century. His theory (which is a little too intricate to present here in full- see The Holy Science) indicates that the peak of Kali Yuga was around 500 A.D., and that the scientific progress that has been accelerating since the 17th century A.D. has been due to the “turning of the tide”. “Dwapara Yuga”, which we are about 110 years into now, is marked by greater knowledge and scientific advances, and specifically greater knowledge of electricity and magnetism. However, during Dwapara Yuga (and especially early in the cycle) there is still a significant degree of materialism in humanity, which may account for the abuse of knowledge, and the consequent human and environmental catastrophes that we are so familiar with. The good news is that ever since 500 A.D. we are in an “ascending” half of Sri Yukteswar's 24 000 precession cycle, and humanity will be growing steadily more enlightened and spiritual till at least 10 500 from now, when we arrive at the highest and purest and most spiritual stage of the precession cycle.

Uranus, the wild card

Yesterday evening people all over the world marveled at the beauty of a Conjunction of the Moon with Venus and Jupiter. During the late Monday afternoon of December the 1st 2008 (in South Africa at least) the Moon, Venus and Jupiter were all located at 22 degrees Capricorn.

Now, on the face of it such a Conjunction would seem to be the very epitome of ease, grace, leisure and pleasure, and in keeping with this (arguably superficial) interpretation I endeavored to make use of the stronger than usual current of benefic energy in what I thought would be a suitable manner. All the while I was aware that Uranus occupying 22 degrees Libra in my chart meant that this triple Conjunction would be Square my natal Uranus. I naively assumed that this would simply make this event more wonderfully vibrant and exciting, as Uranus certainly is sometimes.

My girlfriend and I have been discussing finding a place to live, and on Monday afternoon I called an estate agent that had advertised some places to rent in a newspaper. I thought, “surely a home you find under such positive stars will be a great place to stay!”.

I looked at the first place the guy had to show me, and apart from being a little small, I thought it had potential. I called my girlfriend, who was just about to knock off at work, and suggested she come and have a look too.

In the meantime, in a flat not far from the one I was looking at, a couple burst into a rather nasty sounding tiff, which carried on for quite a while, with lots of banging and shouting. After a while a guy came out and started packing stuff into his car, apparently moving out. At one point the security guard got up to take a closer look....

Eventually my girlfriend arrives and we look at three different places all in the same area. I find myself a little frustrated because I'm really not getting any clear feedback from her, and what little I can read between the lines suggests she's not nearly as excited as I am about the cozy little cottage with the loft, and seems to prefer a place I find a little cramped and awkwardly shaped.

Oh well, that's alright. We agreed to go out for dinner; after all, there was a beautiful celestial event just starting to become visible in the sky. A perfect excuse to spoil ourselves!

We decided to try a Japanese restaurant we'd spotted recently. Upon arriving we were ushered to a little room separate from the rest of the restaurant since the rest of the place had been booked up. It was a little strange, and the two of us were now seated at a table for six. Ok, why not?!

Girlfriend suggests maybe a table outside would be more congenial. We move. After a short while girlfriend is feeling a little cold outside, but our little "booth" inside has now been occupied by a new party.

Mmm.... this auspicious afternoon/evening is surprisingly irritating, I'm starting to think!

Our waitress, well; her English is really not that great, and she's really no help in trying to make sense of this cryptic menu...

To cut a long story short, after our starters, I eventually manage to order some sushi, but only after arduous and complex negotiations. My girlfriend orders tempura.

My sushi arrives before too long, and we assume my girl's meal will be there any minute. I'm hungry! I start, and in no time my four little pieces of sushi have vanished. We wait, and wait..... and wait. No tempura. We check that the waitress noted the order. She confirms she's aware of it. We wait and wait.... some more.

A huge crowd of people emerges from the restaurant, I assume it's a Christmas party or something and everyone's had a few drinks, and they make a huge racket in front of the restaurant for what seemed like an eternity. Very disruptive!

The situation is eventually so ridiculous that keeping up the stoic grin is just plain pathetic! I summon the nearest waitress and as courteously as possible make it clear that things are going quite badly this side, and we've been waiting a very long time for a plate of rather simple food.

Our waitress and the manager told us totally different stories about what went wrong in the kitchen, but by the time the tempura was finished we were really just wanting to pay and get out of there. After repeatedly but amicably declining the manager's kind offer of a complimentary dessert, assuring him sincerely that it was not out of ill will, we escaped, just in time to see the last moments of the Moon, Venus, Jupiter Conjunction before it disappeared below the western horizon.

The moral of the story is that a Square to Uranus is sometimes not quite as funky as you may hope, even if you're an astrologer! It can even make a Moon/Venus/Jupiter experience downright upsetting!!

Unfinished Astrology Poem

Welcome my friends!
And thanks for coming so soon
To share with me in the pleasures
Of sparing some thought
For the Stars, Sun and Moon,
And all Astrology's perennial treasures!

Now, because communication
Is such a fine and delicate art,
Especially when there's something
This important to impart;
This Astrology's going out as a poem,
'Cause it gives it that rhythm
That sends the points home.

And, my dears,
If you will bear with me,
I guess another reason I'm employing
This poetic, rhyming medium
Is because, if nothing else,
It relieves the drudgery and the tedium
Which is a burden too often
Borne by the wise
In their labours of light,
For dim little eyes.

And before we go much further along
In these our merry Astrological forays,
Just a quick word or two
For those fearful religious fanatics,
Who love to denounce our Art,
But whom we have to tolerate
These days.

Something that's true
Cannot be wrong,
And absolutely everybody's dancing
This this cosmic song!
Yes, we're all stirring and shaking
With the Stars in their courses,
It appears to be something
That God endorses!

And, did you know
That since God knows when,
History's most pious and eminent men
Have given their good minds to this study?!
So, if you've had any misgivings
About the calibre of the company you're in
You can relax now, buddy!

And now that we've finally
Finished and done
With all these cordial preliminaries;
Pllleeeasse!! can we get on with it then?!
And begin,
With the first sign....
ARIES!!

Have you ever observed the behaviour of Rams?
Especially the feisty males of the clan,
Charging each other,
Butting heads,
To beat each other
If they can.

Well, the Sun and Mars
Are strong and bold,
And these planets flourish
In Aries,
We're told.

But Saturn is very scared and slow
And Falls
In our good sign Aries,
You know.
Here he hobbles along
When he should be daring,
He gets harsh and angry
When he should be caring,
And if you happen to have
This tragic affliction in your map,
Well, we're sorry for you
But what can you do?!
Good luck to you,
Old chap!

The rest of the planets
Fare quite well in this sign,
Though Venus in Aries
May fight in love
All the time,
And Jupiter in Aries
May be tinged with self-righteousness
And Mercury in Aries
Lacking in politenesses,
And, oh yes
Moon in Aries
Can be quite demanding,
And though all of this
Sounds awfully alarming,
The Aries vibration
Give or take
The occasional conflagration,
Is so honest and naive
It's disarming!

(to be continued... waiting for Taurus!)

Don't Underestimate Retrograde Mercury!!

As a student of astrology I aspire to be pragmatic- even scientific!- in my approach. I'm quite irreverent towards many notions and principles that many of my colleagues are completely sold on, sometimes a little naively, in my humble opinion.

Well, the dread and fanfare with which many astrology lovers warn of the onset of Retrograde Mercury every other month is one such piece of astrological lore that I decided to disregard as a case of grotesque exaggeration.

It so happens that Mercury is Retrograde between 24 September and 15 October 2008. A day or two before Mercury went Retrograde someone called me about a Vedic Astrology course I'm running at the end of October. She said, in all seriousness, that she would get back to me after Mercury turns Direct. “Oh whatever!”, I thought, “astrologers are just silly sometimes”. She stuck to her guns; I haven't heard from her yet; maybe she'll emerge soon after mid-October, and we'll get on with that booking...

Nearly two decades ago, when I was just starting to find my way around an ephemeris, I noticed one day that Mercury was Retrograde, and I did find it rather quirky that a letter I was expecting was obviously delayed. It did occur to me that, Mercury being the planet of “messages”, and therefore mail, a Retrograde Mercury might signify delayed or misdirected mail. My suspicion seemed rather vindicated when, on the day Mercury turned Direct, my letter finally arrived!

Some years thereafter I discovered that this was in fact a rather popular idea amoung astrophiles. It certainly is astro-logical, and I seem to recall that I did observe it's effects on a number of subsequent occasions. I think my aversion to the Retrograde Mercury hype developed as a result of my impression that various new age magazines and websites over-emphasized the importance of this particular phenomenon, so that all lay people seemed to know about astrology was the hazards of Retrograde Mercury!

So, I've been quite amused lately, watching by cynicism transformed into renewed respect, by a number of uncanny incidents.

I have made payments into the wrong bank accounts (a sheer lapse of reason), and embarked on some conspicuously unsuccessful advertising campaigns. I have been billed on my credit card for items I have not purchased, and after a very frustrating attempt to reach the credit card people to sort it out, I learned that I was one of several hundred people who were likewise wrongly charged. A friend called and asked, “have you sent that info yet”, to which I replied, “uh...what info?... oh that info!....but weren't you going to send me your postal address?”. My friend; “oh yes!...”.
etc. etc.

This little article is in fact being written to use up some time constructively while waiting for a client who's stuck in traffic (and eventually had to cancel).

I really hope for your sake that you aren't reading this before the 15th of October 2008 (or during some future Retrograde Mercury period)! Haven't you heard?!- you best be doing as little as possible now, since no intelligent or literate act will go unpunished! ;)

Thabo Mbeki's Pluto process

There have been dramatic developments in the world of South African politics lately. On the 12th of September Jacob Zuma had the fraud and corruption charges against him annulled on a technicality, and almost immediately thereafter there were calls for Thabo Mbeki to step down, since the presiding judge suggested that prosecutors were probably encouraged by Mbeki. Last night Thabo Mbeki addressed the nation announcing his resignation as President of South Africa (though denying the allegations of his interference in the Zuma prosecution), in accordance with the wishes of key figures in the ANC and allied organizations.

On the 14th of June 2005 President Thabo Mbeki effectively fired Jacob Zuma on the basis of the fact that Schabir Shaik, the so called “financial advisor” of Jacob Zuma, was convicted on fraud charges. The judge specifically referred to a “generally corrupt relationship” between Zuma and Shaik, directly implicating Zuma in shady deals, and on this basis the sacking of Zuma was justified.

Looking at Mbeki's birth chart, one of the most conspicuous features in this map is the close Square between the Sun and Neptune. This describes the passive “lame duck” quality one cannot help notice about him. He is so illusive as to be practically invisible. This type of configuration can mean different things; ranging from spirituality to martyrdom. It may arguably be this Sun/Neptune Square that made him susceptible to being so easily nudged out of the presidency, with apparently no resistance on his part.

Several years before the firing of Zuma I mentioned privately to friends that I expected that Thabo Mbeki would be getting involved in a power struggle, due to the fact that (Transiting) Pluto was approaching an Opposition to his Sun. The fact that Thabo Mbeki fired Zuma so close to his birthday in 2005 is very significant. His “Solar Return” was triggering the longer-term Pluto/Sun Opposition.

Isn't it amazing how Thabo Mbeki is himself “fired”, for all practical purposes, under another Solar trigger of the Transiting Pluto/Sun Opposition!

p.s.- please note that since there is (to my knowledge) no time of birth available for Thabo Mbeki, the natal chart above is calculated for sunrise. The zodiac positions of the planets, and the aspects, will not be drastically affected (with the exception perhaps of the Moon). The house placements of the planets are, however, unknown.

America's Natal Chart

The prospect of being able to predict national or global events with astrology is obviously tantalizing, but in practice Mundane Astrology (the astrology of global events) is complex and fraught with points of ambiguity that make it a particularly challenging branch of the stellar science. For one thing, deciding on the actual moment when a nation or country is born is far more difficult than doing the same for a human individual. Even when there is a particular day that stands out as the birth of a nation (and such days are often clearly identifiable) the actual time of that day when the “birth” occurs is less easy to pinpoint, as such births are typically manifested as human ceremonies that may take some hours to perform. It is furthermore not always clear which city or town to use as the location of the event. There are often various options in these respects, and it takes keen and intuitive judgement from an astrologer to discern the crucial moment.

The possibility of predicting accurately is much greater when a chart proves it's sensitivity and relevance to the entity it represents, and this is something one normally gauges retrospectively.

The 4th of July 1776, as the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, was certainly a day of huge significance for America, and most astrologers agree in seeing in this event, on this date, the birthing of a nation. The question is, what is the birth time? Some great astrological minds have applied themselves to this question, and there are some widely divergent views.

I consider the finer points of this debate way out of my league, although I do find it intriguing. Just take a peek at the following essay by Edward Kohout to catch a glimpse of how complicated this question can get:
http://cura.free.fr/xxv/22sibly.html

Some years ago I encountered a chart for America in a Mountain Astrologer Magazine that placed the Ascendant at 12 degrees Sagittarius (apparently Dane Rhudhyar rectified the Ascendant to 13 Sagittarius). When the Twin Towers incident occurred and I couldn't help but notice that the Saturn/Pluto Opposition that had become exact just a short time before that occurred right on the horizon of this natal chart for America (and I still marvel at the way Saturn in Gemini translates as “Twin Towers”)!!

Well, I don't have an essay to write about this. I simply wish to point out that now, during September 2008, Transiting Saturn has moved 90 degrees since the September 2001 incident and is lately Square America's Ascendant, if this 12-13 degrees Sagittarius Ascendant for America is correct. America is once again in tatters. Hurricane Ike has created huge devastation, and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers has caused financial markets to plummet to the lowest levels “since the September 2001 terror attacks”.