Star Guide

Phoenix bird – a symbol of renewal A total solar eclipse will take place on March 8-9, 2016. A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby totally or partly obscuring the image of the Sun for a viewer on Earth. A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon's apparent diameter is larger than the Sun's, blocking all direct sunlight, turning day into darkness. Totality occurs in a narrow path across Earth's surface, with the partial solar eclipse visible over a surrounding region thousands of kilometres wide. It will have a magnitude of 1.0450 visible across an area of Pacific Ocean, beginning in Indonesia, and ending in the northern Pacific Ocean.[1] In general, solar eclipses offer opportunity to redefine concepts of self and the roles we play in the world, or how we articulate ourselves in life. They are about shifting octaves in the nature of our self-perception and self-expression, and addressing issues that keep us from d

For the first time a team of scientists has tracked down the location of a fast radio burst (FRB), confirming that these short but spectacular flashes of radio waves originate in the distant universe.The breakthrough, published today in the journal Nature , was made using CSIRO radio telescopes in eastern Australia and the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan’s Subaru telescope in Hawaii. “Our discovery opens the way to working out what makes these bursts,” Dr Simon Johnston, Head of Astrophysics at CSIRO and a member of the research team said. FRBs emit as much energy in one millisecond as the sun emits in 10,000 years, but the physical phenomenon that causes them is unknown. Feb.25   http://goo.gl/K3kiuz A fast radio burst (FRB) is a high-energy astrophysical phenomenon manifested as a transient radio pulse lasting only a few milliseconds. FRBs show a frequency-dependent dispersion consistent with propagation through an ionized plasma. As of February 2016 se

Noah and rainbow The Russians are working hard to consolidate their diplomatic gains following the US Russian Joint Statement on Syria. To get a sense of the furious pace of their diplomacy, consider that Putin spoke to Obama on the telephone on 22nd February 2016 and - according to his website - to Qatari Emir Tamim Al Thani on the same day, whilst today (24th February 2016) he has spoken on the telephone in rapid succession to Syrian President Assad, Saudi King Salman (who is due to visit Moscow in a few weeks), Iranian President Rouhani and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/putins-frenetic-day-syrian-diplomacy/ri13030 On 22nd February 2016 when Putin spoke to Obama about the peace plan in Syria,  the Sun was forming a sharp semi-square aspect to Uranus.  A chart for the mundane event at Damascus is shown here.  Notice that a Grand Cross straddles the meridian. The elements of the Grand Cross and the interaction betwee

Beirut, Lebanon (CNN)A river of stinking garbage bags snakes its way through the suburbs of Beirut, a surreal and unhygienic blight on Lebanon's cosmopolitan capital.This overflowing landfill, stretching for hundreds of meters through Jdeideh in the city's suburbs, is the consequence of the city's months-long garbage crisis -- both a symbol and a byproduct of the country's dysfunctional politics. "This used to be such a beautiful place, but look at it now. We can't even walk by it," Jawanah, a local resident who didn't want to give the rest of her name, told CNN. Feb. 25 http://edition.cnn.com/2016/02/24/middleeast/lebanon-garbage-crisis-river/index.html The first of the Saturn-Neptune squares took place on November 26. One of the lessons of the square is the need to  take responsibility (Saturn)  for the environment (Neptune).  The imbalance in Nature and our lifestyle is clearly  creating a serious problem. If ecological matters

Astrologer Barry Goddard has an excellent article “Why Donald Trump will be the next US President”  where he discusses the possible outcome of the upcoming US elections. If Donald Trump becomes President of the USA, he will be the first to do so who has neither held political office nor been in the military. BUT he has been the star of a long-running reality TV show (The Apprentice), which nowadays gives the necessary gravitas. This as Saturn (reality, political leaders) squares Neptune (show business). And, as they say, politics is show business for ugly people - or at least, for people with strange hair styles. http://astrotabletalk.blogspot.in/2016/01/why-donald-trump-will-be-next-us.html Here in this post  I will look at why Donald Trump has a hairstyle that everyone is talking about. From his chart above notice that his Ascendant [29le] which rules a person’s appearance is conjunct his radix Mars [26le]. Both the Ascendant and Mars are conjunc

A small passenger plane has crashed in mountainous western Nepal, killing all 23 people on board. The Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Tara Air, was travelling from Pokhara to Jomsom and lost contact with the control tower shortly after taking off. Most of those on board were Nepalis. It is not clear what caused the crash. The plane was carrying three crew and 20 passengers, one of them Chinese and one Kuwaiti. Nepal's aviation industry has a poor safety record. Feb.24   http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35647929 In yesterday’s post we linked the accident to the recent transit Sun’s activation of Uranus via a semi-square aspect. Since the Uranus-Pluto square is just a degree separated, the  transiting  Sun  essentially bisected the square forming a semi-square to both ends.  Charts  for (a) Sun semi-square Pluto (b) Sun semi-square Uranus at Kathmandu, Nepal are shown here. Notice that both  have the Uranus-Pluto-Zeus T-square straddling the angles implying that

One person is feared dead and a major incident has been declared following the collapse of a building at Didcot A Power Station. South Central Ambulance Service said it has sent its hazardous areas response team to the site, as well as three ambulances and the air ambulance. A spokesman said: "We are describing it as a major incident." Oxfordshire County Council deputy leader Rodney Rose said the fire service confirmed one person had died. Feb.23  http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-35641766 The Sun formed a sharp semi-square aspect to Uranus on the very day the above news. A chart for the mundane event at Didcot is shown here. Notice the significant  placement of the powerful Uranus-Pluto-Zeus T-square on the meridian axis. Some keywords [1] for the elements are: ZEUS: Restrained or creative fire/energy; controlled & directed forces (guns, power tools, machines, motors, fireplaces, fuels…power plants) URANUS: Electricity (with Zeus …t

To the magus there exists no accidental happening …everything is established solidly by that law which the wise man discerns in happenings that appear to be accidental to the profane. The curve observed in the flight of birds, the barking of  dog, the shape of a cloud, are occult manifestations of that omnipotent coordinator, the source of unity and harmony. -           Kurt Seligmann. Masahisa Fukase's Solitude of Ravens is at first glance a tough set of pictures to look at. The stark black and white frames pull you into a filmic world of nightmares and never-ending gloom. Yet stick with it, and though you will find the collection packs a powerful emotional punch, it also shows how a photograph can speak about far more than what it depicts. The work was created between 1976 and 1982 following Fukase's divorce , and it is perhaps that little fact that can change how you read these images. They are dark and mysterious, yet this is a personal statement of los

More than 10 million people in India's capital are without water despite the army regaining control of its key water source after protests, officials say. Keshav Chandra, head of Delhi's water board, told the BBC it would take "three to four days" before normal supplies resumed to affected areas. Jat community protesters demanding more government jobs seized the Munak canal, the city's main water source on Friday (Feb.19). Sixteen people have been killed and hundreds hurt in three days of riots. Defiant India protesters stand ground in Haryana. The Munak canal supplies around three-fifths of water to Delhi's 16 million residents. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-35627819 Charts for  lunar phases always serve as an excellent starting point for understanding events that occur at a particular place. Shown here is the chart for the waxing Gibbous Phase of the Moon of Feb. 19 at Delhi. Notice that it is very significant for the place sin

The UK will vote on whether to remain in the EU on Thursday 23 June, Prime Minister David Cameron has said. The prime minister made his historic announcement in Downing Street after briefing the cabinet. He said he would be campaigning to remain in a reformed EU - and described the vote as one of the biggest decisions "in our lifetimes". http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-35621079 The referendum on  whether or not to remain in the EU takes place on June 23.  Charts for  (a) the Full Moon phase of June 20 (b) Waning Gibbous phase of June 24  at London are shown here. Notice that in both cases a Grand Cross straddles the angles with Mercury-Saturn opposition square the nodal axis.  Ebertin gives us the following delineation: Mercury-Saturn-Node:  Thoughts of separation; estrangements or alienation. This appears to suggest that UK’s exit from the EU is more likely than not.

American novelist Harper Lee, famous for her masterpiece “To Kill a Mockingbird” and for shunning the fame it brought her, has died aged 89, officials in her hometown said Friday (Feb.19). A spokeswoman for Monroeville, Ala., where Lee was born and spent her final years living in seclusion, confirmed local media reports of her death, saying: “She did pass away.” Lee’s 1960 novel, which earned her a Pulitzer Prize, came to define racial injustice in the Depression-era South and became standard reading in classrooms across the world. As a Southern Gothic novel and a Bildungsroman, the primary themes of To Kill a Mockingbird involve racial injustice and the destruction of innocence. Scholars have noted that Lee also addresses issues of class, courage, compassion, and gender roles in the American Deep South. The book is widely taught in schools in the United States with lessons that emphasize tolerance and decry prejudice. Harper Lee’s chart is available from Astro-Da

UK Prime Minister David Cameron has faced a long night trying to broker a deal that would allow him to return to Britain with a new deal ahead of a crucial In-Out referendum on its membership of the European Union. Feb. 19 http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160219/1035021359/cameron-opposition-brexit-talks.html The horoscope of the European Union is based on 1 st November 1993; 0:00 hrs CET, Brussels.  Shown here is the progressed  solar return for February 19. Notice that a Grand Cross containing Uranus, Pluto, Moon and Juno straddles the meridian.  Martha Wescott provides the following delineations [1]: JUNO: Partners; marriage/relationship; maintenance of one's rights or position with other; question of “rights” and fairness/compromise; enforcement of fairness; potential for score/keeping, jealousy, fears of abandonment & infidelity. URANUS-PLUTO: to see attempts to “force” change or rupture; change or unexpected reactions based on resentments, com

The oil industry, with its history of booms and busts, is in its deepest downturn since the 1990s, if not earlier. Earnings are down for companies that made record profits in recent years, leading them to decommission more than two-thirds of their rigs and sharply cut investment in exploration and production. Scores of companies have gone bankrupt and an estimated 250,000 oil workers have lost their jobs. The cause is the plunging price of a barrel of oil, which has fallen more than 70 percent since June 2014.Prices recovered a few times last year, but a barrel of oil has already sunk this year to its lowest level since 2004. Executives think it will be years before oil returns to $90 or $100 a barrel, a price that was pretty much the norm over the last decade. http://goo.gl/jGihzv The first commercial oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania by an innovative pioneer named Colonel Edwin Drake in 1859. The horoscope for this event is rectified to 7:56 am;

Hundreds of letters and photographs that tell the story of Pope John Paul II's close relationship with a married woman, which lasted more than 30 years, have been shown to the BBC. The letters to Polish-born American philosopher Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka had been kept away from public view in the National Library of Poland for years. The documents reveal a rarely seen side of the pontiff, who died in 2005. Feb.15   http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35542708 Pope John Paul II's horoscope is available at Astrodienst [1]. The Sabian symbol of his radix Sun [27ta21] is “A mature woman past her change of life awakened to a new romance”   sums up quite appropriately his involvement with Anna-Teresa Tymieniecka. The friendship began in 1973 when Ms Tymieniecka contacted the future Pope. In the Pope’s chart, solar arc Venus was conjunct Pluto in the 9 th  trine Uranus in the 5 th house. The passionate heat of total emotional engagement: that is a basic human need , symbo

Binyamin Netanyahu has announced his intention to “surround all of Israel with a fence” to protect the country from infiltration by both Palestinians and the citizens of surrounding Arab states, whom he described as “wild beasts”. Feb.10 http://goo.gl/pwGQJg On November 18, the planet Neptune stationed direct while squaring Saturn. A chart for the event at Tel-aviv, Israel has Neptune placed very significantly on the MC. Neptune rules the basic human drive or thirst for transcendence: the yearning for an invisible ideal, the longing to dissolve one's boundaries into the cosmic unity, to melt into a dream, to transcend this world of separation and limit, to experience the flow of love and compassion and a transcendence of the boundaries of the personal ego. Saturn , on the other hand, makes us stand alone and know solitude; it separates us from others. It can limit our compassion for others and negate our dreams. In one word it is the planet of bou

Mars – War God  Russia and Hezbollah are closing in on Aleppo, the country’s largest city and a key urban center where rebels are dug in for what amounts to a last stand. If the city is liberated by the government (and yes, “liberated” is more accurate than “falls” because occupied territory belongs to the Syrian government, not to Sunni extremists), Assad will have regained control of the country’s backbone in the west. That would effectively mean the end of the rebellion and the Gulf monarchies, not to mention Turkey, are not happy about it. “The main battle is about cutting the road between Aleppo and Turkey, for Turkey is the main conduit of supplies for the terrorists,” Assad said in an interview with AFP on Friday. That supply line has been severed and now, it’s do or die time for the rebels’ Sunni benefactors in Ankara, Riyadh, and Doha. Either intervene or watch as Hezbollah rolls up the opposition under cover of Russian airstrikes, restoring the Assad government a

The suggestion by Saudi Arabia that it send ground troops to Syria might mean the limited deployment of Saudi special forces alongside their US counterpart or a more ambitious intervention, probably in combination with the Turkish army. It might also be a desperate last throw of the dice to rescue a bankrupt policy as it becomes clear that a five-year effort by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and the Gulf monarchies to overthrow Syria’s President, Bashar al-Assad, has failed. The Syrian army is advancing on all fronts, backed by Russian air strikes, and has cut off opposition forces in Aleppo. Feb.12 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-intervening-in-the-syrian-civil-war-would-risk-russian-wrath-a6868166.html Reproduced below is an extract from a previous post [1] [2] where we looked at the current transits  in the chart for Saudi Arabia: Astro-Databank gives the chart of Saudi Arabia  which is reproduced here. Notice the potenti