Mars in Capricorn - Iron Dome

Gaza Strip - Messages of Love & Politics photo Mia Grondahl

On 16th November, 2012, the warrior planet Mars packed its bags and set off again on its travels, this time into the earthy zone of Capricorn. Mars is on a mission here and has set it’s eyes on reaching the top of the mountain. That is a Mars in Capricorn ambition and this is where Martian focus will apply pressure until it floats off again into the airy mists of Aquarius on 26th December, 2012. Mars will want to establish an authority here, as it winds and grinds its way through this most ambitious of signs. Mars, the planet of action will have its sights set on the top and will be determined to display some authority and status. Suited and booted, Mars in Capricorn exhibits that it has power dressed and means business. A ground offensive is set in motion which, much like a tank manoeuvring through rough terrain, is pretty unstoppable.

As Mars enters Capricorn we will all grind through the gears so that we can achieve maximum efficiency and control. Our actions and impetus will focus on our goals, with very little time given over to downtime or daydreaming. In theory anyway, as any parent knows, as soon as the law is laid down the child's spirit will rise up in rebellion. For the first few days that Mars spends in Capricorn don’t be surprised if you feel a little reluctant to get right down to work, or to get on and do what you must do, face your responsibly and attend to ‘reality’. If you find yourself scuffing your shoes in the dirt, hands in pockets and jaw set firmly, it just might be your 'child within' spirit rebelling and needing to show its own strength. After all Capricorn is a slow starter but it strongly believes that it will get there in the end. Capricorn is relentless, its mode is Cardinal (driven) and its quality is Earth (Solid). Combine the two qualities and there you have some force of nature. What is more it Mars is ‘exalted’ in Capricorn and both Mars and Capricorn will like the idea of being on top of the world and on top of its game.

Mars loves a good old fight and whilst it was in freedom loving Sagittarius some real battles played out on the global stage. There were contesting philosophies, ideologies and grand plans, as witnessed in the United States (the ‘land of the free’ had to try to define 'free') Presidential election (U.S. Presidential Election Astrology - Obama vs Romney). 

U.S. Presidential Election 'Battle'

In China a raft of personnel changes ‘at the top’ resulting in the election of Xi Jinping emerging from 'a sea of identical, conservative suits' to become paramount ruler for the next 10 years.

China's Leader Xi Jingping with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden

On the day of the eclipse (Scorpio Solar Eclipse - The Path of Totality) just as Mars was preparing to leave the rousing Sagittarius fire sign Mars in Sagittarius - International Horse Power), fighting and unrest ignited between Israel and Palestine in Gaza. Unfortunately, a few days later, as Mars entered Capricorn, the fighting really escalated. One of the military leaders of Hamas, Ahmed al-Jabari was assassinated in an air strike on Gaza City by the Israelis, which resulted in Hamas stating that Israel had 'opened the gates of hell'. Hamas then began air attacks on Tel Aviv (Mars) which led to Israel threatening their 'Iron Dome' (Capricorn) missile shield. The fighting is ever increasing with a realistic fear that Israel is steadily building towards a ground offensive as the more powerful long-range, Iran built missiles from Palestine reach more civilians in previous 'bubble' cities like Tel Aviv and even Jerusalem.

Israeli Defence Force (IDF) Twitter Account

What else can we expect from this Mars as it takes over the command of the command turret in ‘tank platoon Capricorn Mars’? While Mars in Sagittarius fanned the flames of ideological rhetoric, voicing its beliefs, clearly articulating the right and wrongs and actively debated various possibilities. Mars in earthy Capricorn will have dispensed with all that rhetoric and needs to take action or instigate some practical planning. Whilst part of the picture is being decisive, or over planning and strategically formulating ways to reach an objective, there will also be a fair amount of political manoeuvring and the display of naked ambition. In essence any Mars sign will always want to move, to spring into action and flex its muscles.

Hamas Paramilitary wing Alqassam Brigade's Twitter account 

Mars in Capricorn wants to prove itself and show-off its hard won spoils. Displaying its badge of honour, drawing attention to exactly how and why it deserves to be the most qualified and flashing it glinting shiny medal as a badge of honour from hard fought combat. It leaves us in no doubt as to its authority. Quite surprisingly this Mars veers towards the flashy. Make no bones about it Mars in Capricorn quite literally ‘Lords It’.

Political, psychological digital battles on the frontline of the Social Media War.

Check out the Capricorn zone in your own chart. This area will be shaking with the passing of this bulldozer tank of a Mars, moving through it. Used wisely this can result in a healthy and long overdue 'shake-up'. If Mars is moving and shaking through your 6th zone or house, you may set up a strict 'lose unwanted weight' regime and a health campaign. Through your 4th house zone the  offensive may focus on dispensing with unwanted clutter and getting everything 'ship shape'. Through your 8th house the crusade may well be fervently focused on shifting any stagnancy attached to your joint finances, insurance claims and investments. Conversely used more negatively and unconsciously this Mars could well just charge forward, pressing on towards a personal goal blindly but perhaps crushing some who are innocently and obliviously sunbathing along the path. Other Mars signs may equally register their resentment and resistance through your 11th house zones via people regarded as friends who may have cause to take offence. Or this may register through your 7th house and a business partner or spouse/partner may pout and frown and feel swept away with a new offensive. Knocking down your 5th house doors may see your kids slightly uneasy as you huff and puff. It is logical that if we all blindly motor on through to whatever we want without paying attention to road signs (saying STOP), borders saying 'anything to declare' (PASSPORT), or protesters just having a different point of view (saying NO) then we will really start to register more 'no-one-wins situations. 

            
Through skillful negotiations, however, real attention to other people and our surroundings, not just lip-service then perhaps a win-win path can be found - Cardinal earth really establishing something 'real' and 'worthwhile'.
During Mars in Capricorn's plough though its exalted Earth sign it meets some formidable 'foes.' Namely Uranus currently wearing martian Aries colours and Pluto also Dark Lording it in Capricorn. It will not be a journey without incident or obstacle. Capricorn is naturally suspicious of anything too 'easy', but advances will be made. Sometimes the terrain is tricky and it is hard to see the think-tanks for the tanks. We may have to think hard about just what we are setting our sights on.

When Mars moves to 4 degrees Capricorn on 23rd November, 2012 it will encounter Uranus exactly, at 4 degrees Aries. This will create a flash point, a trigger, which reverberates through to the edgy Cardinal square face-off (Uranus vs Pluto). 
Prime countries and leading figures involved in the conflict who also have planets 'keying into' this sensitive point are: 
Israel with Venus at 4 degrees Cancer
Egypt with Mars at 3 degrees Cancer
Lebanon with Neptune at 3 degrees Libra
USA (Sibly chart) with Venus at 3 degrees Cancer and Jupiter at 5 degrees Cancer
Israel's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with Uranus at 4 degrees Cancer

The next trigger point occurs a few days later, on the 27th November 2012, with Mars meeting Pluto in the same sign at the same degree, 8 Capricorn. This will be one Hell of a 'powered-on' Mars, a revved up Mars with wings. Prime countries and figures in the conflict who also have planets 'keying into' this sensitive point are: 
Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu with Mercury at 9 degrees Libra
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal with Venus at 8 degrees Cancer
Turkey with Mars at 7 degrees Libra
Palestine with Neptune at 8 degrees Capricorn.

The planets act as a sign post in an often perplexing and sometimes wonderful journey. They are not forcing events along like arms on a pinball machine because they are pointing out not blindly pressing us onward. Hopefully in the middle of this maze, in the tangles within the forest, there will be a clearing and a breathing space for us all to think clearly and behave responsibly. The United Nations has 'peace loving' Venus conjunct visionary Neptune at 7 degrees Libra in the 6th zone of 'Service & Public Servants. Let us hope that this may be that signpost urging towards that clearing and a much needed breathing space.

United Nations chart.

Hopefully there is a light at the end of the tunnels.

Smuggling Tunnels of the Gaza Strip (photo Benoit de Freine)

U.S.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rising up to the role of peacemaker by cutting short her tour of Asia with President Obama on the 20th November, 2012 to try and broker a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. She will have talks with Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, officials from Palestine and Egyptian leaders in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo. The Solar Eclipse at 21 degrees of Scorpio is exactly conjunct the degree of her Rising sign (some debate on time for her chart but this seems more than appropriate/astrologer Chris Brennan's post here). Her Nodal Axis Scorpio/Taurus is also resonating with the current Nodal Axis (Axis of Power & Possessions - Scorpio/Taurus) in the form of an opposition. This is a Counter Nodal Return, when the transiting North Node in Scorpio will conjunct her Natal South Node in Scorpio almost supercharging the energy and indicating powerful events and transformations that are inevitable, even a fated destiny. She may feel a little insecure to begin with amongst all the revved-up resentments, angers and explosive, tinder-box scenarios but she is still bringing her two fixed stelliums with her, Scorpio Rising, Venus and Mercury and then her Mars conjunct Pluto with Saturn in Leo to the various peace talks tables.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

credits: business insider & instagram & telegraph & getty & bbc news & imbd & cfr.org & secret news & deviant art & cultural anthropology & AP & frugal cafe
posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

Hot Spots & Lightning Rods - Uranus/Pluto 2nd Square

The second of the seven squares between the two planets Uranus and Pluto follows on from the sparking up of the New Moon in Virgo (Glimmers Of Perfect Light - New Moon in Virgo) on 16^th September 2012. On 19^th September 2012, these two behemoths giants come in close enough again to smell one others heated breath - and the odour is getting to be like brimstone.

Libya - 50 people arrested in connection with US consulate attack 17th September 2012

The last time they met this way was in June 24^th 2012, (Uranus vs Pluto) marked immediately by a certain global event, the election of the Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi. Again, in the days building up to the 2nd exact square between Uranus and Pluto there has been an acceleration in the violent disturbances in Egypt, Nigeria, Tunisia, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and many other countries such as the Sudan, Malaysia and Singapore. Violence has centred particularly on US embassies but embassies belonging to Germany and the United Kingdom have also come under attack or been overrun and defaced. Preceding this sadly, on the 12^th September the U.S ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, was killed along with three other US staff, at their consulate in Libyan city of Benghazi. 

The mob violence and unrest that suddenly blew up causing these murders was more than shocking (Uranus the Awakener) and suddenly very disturbing to many people who were also grieving in remembrance of the victims of 9/11 on its 11th anniversary. Perhaps in the Middle East and when viewed through the eyes of radical Muslim propaganda it is not surprising at all, as that date means something very different to these factions. The ‘cause’ of the unrest and upset was a July 2012 trailer for a film uploaded to YouTube called 'The Innocence of Muslims' purported to be made in California. This film, ridiculing the Prophet Muhammed, has been available for months but more importantly only recently dubbed into Arabic. The Egyptian President Morsi went on record condemning the resulting violence but also condemning the content of the video. The new rebels (Uranus-Aries) the Muslim Brotherhood are becoming the new establishment (Pluto-Capricorn). The older establishments and old ways of being will not to step aside or go down without a fight. There are going to be inevitable, ongoing ideologies conflicts, territorial battles and personal boundary violations. 

The Middle East has long been considered a tinderbox with religious, territorial and socio-political complexities rubbing shoulders and creating sparks with some sparks leading to outright blazing fires. Just before the Benghazi murders there were Tunisian extremists smashing a bar serving alcohol. Militants were killed on the Gaza Strip. Iraq saw further random bombings and deaths while the vice president was sentenced to death for murder. The Yemen defence minister was nearly assassinated and Syria's latest fighting saw hundreds more people, mostly civilians, killed by their own forces on the 14th September 2012.

Into this volatile climate comes yet another player representing the old guard. Pope Benedict the head of the Catholic Church began a three day visit to the Lebanon on the 14th September 2012 and no doubt will be stirring up old and new passions by simply being there. Speaking about the region he remarked 'Sometimes it seems about to snap like a bow which is overstretched or submitted to pressures which are too often partisan. This is where real moderation and great wisdom are tested... 'I know that the more complicated a situation becomes, the more necessary it is to send this signal of fraternity, encouragement and solidarity.' The Pope prayed in front of 350,000 people wearing the Cedars of Lebanon emblem, the hope he expressed is for more people wanting to 'import ideas of peace...instead of importing arms'.

Astrology looks to celestial signs and threads which can often lead to potential hot spots while global political climates heat up and create this synchronicity. This 2nd Uranus Pluto square of clashing energy has every indication of having an 'overstretched bow' potential. Ideally what is required to deal with it are cool heads, calming words, clear actions, as well as open minds and hearts. In reality the Middle East is raging and now many other countries have joined in with their own brand of violent reaction. Astrology can also help identify newer voices that have to be heard through the clatter and mayhem to lead us through these current tensions and take us forwards towards a more peaceful world. 

The Uranus/Pluto 2nd square's arrival has plenty of potentially politically sensitive pressure cooker material banking up unresolved and frustrated these clashing energies will be reflected and mirrored in events all over the globe. Pluto in Capricorn can be seen to represent the 'old order' the Establishment, tradition and what is already embedded, whilst Uranus in Aries is the usurper, the young pretender, the breakthrough flash of inspiration and revolution. 
A brief review of a few existing and brewing sensitive zones reveals the hot spots to date, some listed are just a few examples of the expression of Uranus-Pluto, some with planets on the sensitive 5-8 degree Cardinal:(Sky Summit Of Cardinals)


-Afghanistan with its Jupiter 8 deg Capricorn Rx, an ongoing hot spot and lightning rod for violence has begun its demonstrations over the 'incendiary film' in Kabul on the 17th September 2012. President Hamid Karzai with his Mercury 5 Deg Capricorn Rx has called for 'efforts to prevent the releasing of this insulting film' but not for cessation of the violent reactions to it. The Taliban has it's Jupiter at 8 deg of Capricorn and South Node 8 deg Aries, North Node 8 deg Libra.

-Argentina President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner with her Mars at 8 deg Aries and this year marking the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War. President de Kirchner is making threats and claims over the islands.

-Australia with its Saturn 7 deg Capricorn and its Prime Minister Julia Guillard Sun at 6 deg Libra

-Palestine with its Neptune 8 deg Capricorn

-Isreals Defense Minister's Moon is at 7 deg Capricorn

-Canada with its Sun and Uranus at 8 deg Cancer 

-Denmark with its Jupiter 5 deg Aries


-The British Establishment rocked to the core with the Hillsborough Report highlighting a shameful cover-up at the heart of social structures. The public losing trust again with powers of authority and the misuse of power invested in them when 96 Liverpool football fans died at the Hillsborough Football Grounds in Sheffield.(96 Echoes From The Past - Hillsborough) 

96 Candles Of Remembrance in Liverpool

The British Royal family took legal action against French Closer magazine for gross invasion of privacy and won an injunction with the magazine told to hand over the original photos to the couples lawyers. Again the two sides play out vividly, the heavyweight of the British Royals issuing this statement, 'The incident is reminiscent of the worst excesses of the press and paparazzi during the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, and all the more upsetting to The Duke and Duchess for being so...' The magazine has obviously already made a lot of money from the photos and its website has been continually crashing from the demand for them. However, the couples lawyers have also asked criminal prosecutors to consider charging the photographer.

William & Kate

-South Africa dealing violently with Lonmin miners at the Marikana massacre. Police opened fire on striking miners killing 36, 4 others, 2 officers and injuring 78 people.

-Ongoing pressures of the Middle East coalescing around September 11th 2012 in violent, hysterical anti-American feeling and a real testing ground for freedom of speech. Meanwhile the more chronic and insidious systematic genocide of Syria goes on. The fighting between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims and Alawite, a Shi'ite minority sect represented by President Bashar al-Assad who has filled the upper ranks of his military with this sect and also the feared shabiha militia. 

27.000 people have killed in Syria in an 18 month period. Yet more fuel to the flames comes in the form of an Alawite sect in Turkey siding with Bashar al-Assad, as refugees running from the carnage spill out into the surrounding countries.

-the U.S presidential election contest that had previously been focused on the US economy has been abruptly pushed into foreign policy issues, the nuclear threat from Iran, Israel's reactions in the tinder-box atmosphere of ongoing violence towards America in the Middle East and beyond.(The Axis of Power & Possessions Scorpio/Taurus). The U.S 'old guard' up against the new New Deal. Obama speaking at the Democratic Convention said that voters were facing two choices, 'On every issue, the choice you face won't be just between two candidates or two parties. It will be a choice between two different paths for America. A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future.'

-the Eurozone crisis becoming more destabilised with Germany being seen as imperialistic and controlling. The disengaged electorate of countries suddenly thrown into rickety economies opting out of austerity measures and flailing around bond markets and economic technocrats.

-The South China Sea contest over the sovereignty of islands between China, South Korea and Japan is really heating up with demonstrators taking to the streets in dozens of cities across China. China has it's Sun 7 deg Libra, South Korea has it's Venus at 7 deg Cancer.

-Turkey with it's Mars 7 deg Aries has held meeting with the USA in the last month on plans to depose the Syrian government, it has its longest border with Syria and also serves as headquarters for the leaders of the Free Syria Army rebels and is host to about 80.000 refugees from Syria in official camps but countless others scattered along the border.

With Jupiter currently in Gemini the growth and power of social media will continue to  dramatically impact world events, maybe even fanning the winds of the building dissent powered on by the Uranus V Pluto square, the V appears to literally stand for Vendetta, the Occupy Wall Street movement and other protest groups using the films mask as their symbol. New York, has it's Mars at 8 deg Aries and more than 100 people were arrested on Occupy 1st anniversary protest on the 17th September 2012. 

On a personal level tensions and deep complexes may well be sparked and re-ignited as well. Those of us getting into a more positive and an optimistic frame of mind in spite of all of the tensions above could see this as all gears of change and a cathartic release which clears the path ahead. Even with that way of thinking we have to accept that the path may be strewn with obstacles, setbacks, frustrations and struggles we are dealing with the 2nd square of seven. 

We may well be living in a inner and outer world trying to establish some sort of new order and scheme of things and it is hard to be stoic when so much can appear to be out of our control. We continue to struggle to make some sort of sense of it all and to ultimately find meaning after all we seem to be hard-wired to adapt and evolve. We know that we are going to be dealing with profound changes ahead of us, Uranus in Aries wants nothing less and Pluto in Capricorn struggles has its own vision of change. We will probably be moving from one stance to another ourselves,like shifting from one foot to the other, reassessing and reevaluating just what we need to change or and what we need to secure.

             

credits: new york times & reuters & the guardian & the independent & traveladventures & BBC 

posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs

96 Echoes From The Past - Hillsborough

Today 12^th September 2012, at 12.30 pm London, Prime Minister David Cameron revealed some of the more startling findings from the Hillsborough Independent Report. The Report is a result of gathering information for over 2 years on the deaths of 96 people, all Liverpool football fans, who were caught in the disaster at Hillsborough Football Stadium, Sheffield, England on the afternoon of April 15 1989 and lost their lives.

The report reveals systemic cover-ups, falsification of information, and operational wrong doings with the safety of the fans being 'compromised at every level'. One of the most controversial factors that came to light with leaked papers to the BBC was that 'There was a briefing note to the prime minister at the time, Margaret Thatcher, days after the disaster. In the note, an unnamed senior police officer wrongly blamed drunken Liverpool fans for the disaster'. The actions of the Conservative Government of the day, as a result, has come back to haunt the current conservative Cameron coalition government.

There has been a massive cover-up by many branches of the British establishment at the time and today the lid was blown off sky high. People wanted the truth, they wanted answers and would not 'go let it go' after over twenty years. Astrologically this is occurring under the Cardinal square between Uranus vs Pluto.
Jupiter was in Gemini at the time of the disaster, when members of the establishment used the press to issue false statements and erroneous reports - Jupiter in Gemini now with more than 400,000 documents have been archived and are all open to view on-line.

On 15th April 1989 those 96 Liverpool fans along with many others went to Hillsborough to watch the FA Cup Semi Final but those 96 died as a result of a horrific disaster. On that day South Yorkshire Police failed the victims and their families because they simply lost control. It was also the immediate actions taken after the aftermath that has been called into question when, it appears, senior police officers sought to change the record of events. Disgraceful lies were told, sometimes in the form of Chinese whispers, which blamed the victims themselves, the Liverpool fans, for the disaster. The report confirmed suspicions that South Yorkshire Police had tried to blame supporters by instructing police officers to change or amend their statements relating to events on that terrible day. 
The head of the inquiry, Lord Justice Taylor said the 'great majority of supporters were not drunk or even the worse for drink' and that 'some officers, seeking to rationalise their loss of control, overestimated the drunkenness in the crowd'. The fact is that there were 766 injured and 96 dead and most of the fatalities were aged thirty years old or as young as ten years old.

For over 23 years grieving families and survivors have waited, fought, been vilified and isolated. At the time they were blamed by newspapers such as ‘The Sun’ for being at fault. Headlines accused them for being a druken mob who acted as pick-pockets on the dead and for urinating on the police. 

The report finally categorically states that this is not 'the truth'. The editor of the Sun newspaper, at the time, Kelvin MacKenzie, has publicly apologised for printing the lies he was fed 'I too was totally misled. Twenty three ago I was handed a piece of copy from a reputable news agency in Sheffield in which a senior police officer and a senior local MP were making serious allegations against fans in the Hillsborough stadium. I had absolutely no reason to believe that these authority figures would lie and deceive over such a disaster.'

Here is the chart for the day of the disaster:

The moon was in Leo - as it was on the day the Report was released. The Moon symbolises  ‘the folk, the people’ and on the day of the disaster it was placed in the 12^th house  which corresponds to secrets, institutions, and behind the scenes hidden activity, as well as the enemy you can’t see. It was also conjunct the Fixed Star Alphard, connected to lack of control, unethical behaviors, and violence.

Margaret Aspinall, who lost her 18 year old son James is chairwoman of the Hillsborough Families Support Group. 

Margaret Aspinall & Trevor Hicks, who lost his two daughters at Hillsborough

She said today the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster can finally rest in peace now the healing can begin. The truth has just come out, next will come the justice. The consequences for the British establishment at all levels has only just started. More heads will roll and the demands for names to be named and shamed grows ever louder.

Police chiefs Duckenfield & Murray resigned

Here is the chart for the revelation of the details of the Independent Report:

The Leo Moon is in the 9^th house of justice, ethics, moral and higher truths. During the day it will form an aspect called the ‘finger of fate’, a Yod, with Pluto in Capricorn and Chiron in Pisces. Pluto 'The Transformer' in Capricorn, the sign of structure, tradition, and the establishment, forms an aspect to Chiron in Pisces. Deep deep wounds can now begin the process of healing. This Pluto is currently being jolted by Uranus 'The Awakener', this is literally a wake up call to the Establishment.

The South Node in Taurus Axis of Power & Possessions - Scorpio/Taurus is conjunct, holding hands with, the Fixed Star Alcyone. Alcycone is sorrow, widows, facing injustice, accidents, violence and weeping, whilst the South Node is stuff from the past. 

The City of Liverpool had two minutes silence in memory of victims and their families. Today has dredged up dark and deep wounds from the past and re-opened many. Mars is in Scorpio (Mars in Scorpio - What Lies Beneath) Pluto was in Scorpio on the day of the disaster. 'It was a really dank, kinda dark little tunnel, hardly any light at all and we were midway down that tunnel when a 'wave' just hit. We actually got lifted to a point where it was faster than you could run really. It just swooped us in.' (Neil Fitzmaurice from Hillsborough The Documentary)
The hope is that hard lessons can be learnt and healing and justice can now progress. 
Hillsborough Disclosed Material & Report

            credits: the guardian & liverpool echo & metro & BBC news
posted by pippa ponton & jphibbs