All the Usual Suspects

A Paris sport newspaper summed it up before it even happened: Pourquoi Londres?

"Why London?"

The prophetic headline, printed Thursday morning, actually referred to the 2012 Olympic games, for which Paris was passed over Wednesday afternoon. Had the question referred to Thursday morning's bombings, it would have been somewhat more naïve. Still, it really is the obvious thing to be asking.

And so is the question: who?

It's bad detective work to presume you know the culprit before the investigation begins.

All day Thursday in Paris and into Friday, sirens have been blaring in the streets as small, gray unmarked police cars, with a single blue light on the roof, have been endlessly speeding around town. It's enough to give the impression that whoever's handiwork was responsible for the bombings down in the Tube, which so far have killed 50+ people, headed straight to Paris -- or that the city is signaling, to whoever might care, its involvement in the investigation.

We need to remember the basic context of this event.

The bombing happened while the G8 leaders -- the leaders of the world's leading industrial nations -- were meeting in Scotland. The G8 includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US. This is the alliance that has been so strained in recent years by the Iraq war.

Then there is the context of recent news. The Iraqi insurgency has been rather active lately. Any more than usual? Poll numbers for George Bush are the lowest in the history of his administration. In the United States, the natives are getting restless.

June 28, CNN.com reported, "The number of Americans disapproving of President Bush's job performance has risen to the highest level of his presidency, according to the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.

"According to the poll, 53 percent of respondents said they disapproved of Bush's performance, compared to 45 percent who approved."

Dominating the news stateside this week was the revelation that presidential advisor Karl Rove's name turned up in correspondence a Time magazine reporter handed over to a federal prosecutor relating to the identity leak of a deep cover CIA agent named Valerie Plame. Also in the news has been the jailing of New York Times reporter Judith Miller for refusing to cooperate with the federal investigation into who leaked Plame's name to the media two years ago. The leak was reprisal from the Bush administration for Plame's husband, a former ambassador, saying in an article that President Bush lied about Iraq's alleged development of nuclear weapons in the run-up to the war.

This is America's version of the "sexed up dossier" scandal that for many months racked Tony Blair's government, and which resulted in the death of weapons expert David Kelly.

In a similar story, the last round of war news in England involved the Downing Street Memo, which seems to prove beyond any doubt that the British government knew it would be entering the Iraq situation both illegally and facing a high probability of disaster.

So: that's the backdrop. Not a clear, cool late summer morning, with the news coming out of the blue sky. This news is coming out of the thick, smelly fog of war.

The backdrop and context provide some indication of potential motives.

If there was a warning about the London bombings, it came in the form of the Capricorn Full Moon two weeks ago, exactly on the summer solstice -- an extraordinarily large event on a deeply sensitive part of the zodiac.

This was the first of two Cap Full Moons; the second arrives July 21, in about two weeks, as this past Wednesday July 6 was the Cancer New Moon, which is vividly imprinted in the chart for Thursday morning's bombings.

To have an exact lunation on the solstice means that the Sun and the Moon simultaneously aligned exactly on what was, in the Northern Hemisphere, a peak-energy point for the Sun -- the longest day. I described this elsewhere as something becoming obvious; the Sun and Moon both at their brightest.

In my article on the Cap Full Moons two weeks ago, I wrote, "These early degrees of the cardinal signs (those on a cross beginning with the first degree of Aries, which is the first degree of the tropical zodiac) are hot, hot degrees lately, they have wide impact, and this grand cross makes aspects to the charts for many recent news events going back even unto the autumn of 2000."

Among the "many news items," I was referring specifically to the Sept. 11 attacks, and numerous subsequent related events, all of which were preceded by an ominous solar eclipse exactly on the summer solstice on June 21, 2001. You don't see eclipses like that one very often, quite literally four hours into the summer. We should have known something big was going to happen but there are, to my knowledge, no published predictions of a 9/11 like event from that spring or summer (though Rob Hand predicted a war with Afghanistan).

On the first day of summer 2005, a Capricorn Full Moon occurred with the Sun in the same degree, fully activating that eclipse once again. The bottom line with an exact lunation on the solstice is an event that will affect many people in a far-reaching way -- and it's something that is related to everything else connected with the 6/21/01 eclipse, events ranging from Sept. 11 to the Iraq war. [If you search my writing on the Aries Point the last couple of years, you'll see a lot of connections.]

Then Wednesday, July 6 came the New Moon in the sign Cancer, exactly between the two Capricorn Full Moons. It was a big day, apropos of the moment -- the day London was granted the Olympics for 2012, as well as during the G8 summit in Scotland. And this came in the midst of vastly important news in the US, including the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor this past weekend, and many developments involving the Karl Rove / Valerie Plame spy situation.

So this series of lunations, aspecting one of the most important Sept. 11 charts (the June 21, 2001 eclipse), are quite literally setting the world into motion.

We are also right on the cusp of Saturn moving into Leo and opposing Chiron -- a portent of big change (please see article in Q/A section on Cainer.com, on Saturn in Leo). Saturn is now approaching an exact opposition to Chiron in Aquarius. The last time these two planets met in an opposition, we had the Asian tsunami.

Saturn opposing things is a sign that there's going to be action or some kind of manifestation. For example, the Saturn-Pluto opposition was in full bloom for the Sept. 11, 2001 chart.

But speaking of Sept. 11, are we really supposed to believe that a series of bombings that make the Irish Republican Army look like professionals was really planned and executed by the same people who took out the World Trade Center? That these attackers, who could not get one of their bombs into position and, apparently, had it detonate accidentally on a bus, are part of the same organization that can hijack four jetliners in the space of half an hour for the first time in history?

Here is the chart for Thursday's bombings.

http://planetwaves.net/charts/london_explosions.html

Let's take it from the beginning.

We are dealing with a chart involving a secret enemy. This is 12th house territory. The secret enemy is represented by the ruler of the 12th house, and the Identikit for the prime suspect is a description of the 12th ruler.

Cancer is on the cusp of the 12th. Thus the Moon, ruler of the 12th and Cancer, represents the secret enemy. The Moon is in Cancer, in her own sign. She is at home. And we know where to find her. The Moon is located in the 11th house -- right in public at the time of the event. The Moon's nature in this chart is motherly.

She is a domestic public figure, hiding in plain sight.

Is she really female? Maybe, maybe not, but she's going to resemble Mother Hen in some way, allegedly taking care of her brood.

The late Leo ascendant (see left side of chart, horizontal line) shows a well-developed situation; this event is not the result of something new. It would appear, based on that ascendant (which is just about to exceed when the chart is really useful, at about 27+ degrees, so we're right on the edge) that we're at the beginning of the end of something.

[In an interesting side note, the time of the first bombing has been advanced to 8:51 am, from the original timing of 8:49 am. Two minutes would advance the ascendant enough to call for tossing the chart and throwing astrologers and the public off the trail; revising the time in this chart is an astrological image of denial.]

The Sun is the ruler of the ascendant and is thus the ruler of the question itself. We know part of the question: whodunit? But there would seem to be more. Let's be on the lookout for another question. This is the great big Sun we're talking about, after all, the source of all energy and light. What kind of question does the Sun look like? Hmm. The Sun is always the significator for the King. The question involves the King: the big leader or leaders. He is in Cancer -- we also find him at home.

I say leaders because the Sun is in the 11th house -- the house of groups and associations; the house of allegiances.

At the time of the bombing, the Kings were all having a committee meeting. Where? At home, in the United Kingdom, in Scotland. So the question involves the King, who was at a meeting of his colleagues and allies, at home.

The Sun, located at 15+ Cancer, is square Mars at 17+ Aries, as well as square the lunar nodes.

Mars, on one level represents a foreigner, because he both rules and occupies the 9th house. And he looks like a combatant. He is in the 9th house, a foreigner. Mars on the end of the lunar nodes looks like a warhead. He looks like a foreign enemy. But is he really an enemy?

The 9th house is the house of religion, foreigners, and ideologies. It is very rarely associated with actual enemies, unless the planet involved rules one of the houses that deals with the subject of enemies: 7th (open enemies) or 12th (hidden enemies).

The Sun is applying to that Mars. The square has not happened yet. Something else is going to happen, and Sun square Mars is intense and potentially violent. We have the feeling of something "about to go off" in the chart for something that has already gone off.

Mars, notably, is exactly occupying the degree of the April 8, 2005 solar eclipse. A planet occupying the degree of an eclipse has a problem on its hands. And the Sun (the question or the King) is about to square that degree, and fall into the same trap.

[For more information, we can study what happened around April 8. But since this was the day of the Pope's funeral, a huge media distraction, we really have no clue what was going on, unless we start reading transcripts of White House and Downing Street meetings. Also for reference, April 10 was the date of the big Sumatra aftershock.]

We have one last 12th house matter to look at. There is a planet on the cusp of the 12th, and a big one -- Saturn. Saturn is the planet that we can always say rules the government. Then we can look at the houses where Capricorn and Aquarius (Saturn's signs) are and get more information. That proves instructive in this chart. Capricorn is on the 6th house cusp (bureaucrats), and Aquarius is on the 7th house (open enemies).

So Saturn, the government, also gets listed as an open enemy. Saturn's position exactly on the cusp of the house of secrets is very strange, and I think it's the dead giveaway of this chart. It's as if Saturn is standing there guarding a lot of secrets. We've seen enough of those secrets leak in recent weeks (think: Downing Street Memo) to know what else might be in there.

Note what is placed inside the 12th house proper, representing an aspect of the secret of the 12th: Mercury conjunct Venus in Leo. That looks like a lot of money, or like money is a hidden issue. Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo and is thus the ruler of the 2nd house (money, wealth, cash) and also the 11th house (the resources of government); and Venus is the ruler of the 10th house (government). A lot of secret government financial interests.

Or we have an indication that the hidden issue is "worth a lot," whether financially or politically. Note that Venus and Mercury, representing the secrets or the money, are in Leo; note that the Sun, which rules Leo and represents the question or the King, squares Mars, the alleged foreign combatant who is really some kind of domestic figure. They are all connected. It's not such a friendly connection and it ain't getting friendlier -- but the connections are all there.

While this may look like a battle for ideology and politics, really it's a war about money. Gee, this is starting to look like that exciting new movie, Fahrenheit 7/7.

Let's sum up. The secret enemy looks wholesome, like Betty Crocker or June Cleaver -- really, really swell. The government is guarding a lot of secrets and a shit-ton of money, or secrets about money or all of the above. The foreign alleged enemy combatant really is a domestic figure of some kind. But he has some kind of secret role. And the central question of this chart involves the King, who was at home at the time of the attacks, meeting with his allies in a group.

This chart points to three imminent developments: Moon conjunct Saturn; Sun square Mars; and Saturn going into Leo, about to oppose Chiron.

This is very much a developing story, and it develops over the next two months. We don't know what will happen, but for sure, there's trouble up there in Bureaucrat Hog Heaven. What happens next is always a good clue to what you just missed. But remember, you know, don't look at the guy behind the curtain.

One last idea. Doing horary astrology, I prefer to leave out the asteroids and minor planets in the first few go-rounds (though I do mention Chiron briefly, but not in a starring role in any sense). Asteroids and minor planets do work in horary, but the problem is that when you put them in, you lose the reference points (such as rulerships) to the exact chess rules of horary that make it both possible, and interesting -- not to mention trustworthy. The nice thing about horary is that it's not anarchy and it follows strict choreography; any other astrologer can go over my work and evaluate it in astrological terms.

However, on a minor planet note, I will add this. The big event before all this stuff happened, and on which this chart is based, is the New Moon conjunct Varuna. Varuna likes to put things on equal grounds, and it's concerned with the punishment of liars and those who break contracts. The Sun in this chart is closely conjunct Varuna -- VERY close.

The position of Varuna at the time of the bombings is 15 degrees of Cancer and 24 arc minutes. The position of the Sun is 15 degrees of Cancer 17 arc minutes, applying to or approaching Varuna to within 8 arc minutes (about 1/8th of a degree). It's the closest aspect in the chart, amongst the planets so far checked, and you don't usually get to split degrees by 8 very often even when you add a lot of exotic little rocks. So the themes of Varuna become a real factor and are very likely a key to what happens. This chart, on the highest level, is all about trust and agreements between the King (the Sun) and the people (Cancer).

For details, please check last week's Planet Waves essay on the Varuna New Moon, in your inbox or posted to the subscriber homepage.

>> This article is also on the web, with the chart at:
http://planetwaves.net/astrology/londonterroristbombings.html


Planet Waves Weekly by Eric Francis
Friday, July 8, 2005

Happy Birthday, Cancer!

Think of yourself as a vast, invisible force behind the scenes.

We tend to think of success as a worldly experience of moving up. That is, if we even get that far; if we manage to think of life as anything other than a struggle for security and survival. Finally, you've begun to go past those limited ideas of what it means to be alive. Finally, you've begun to overcome your fears and insecurities. You have been through so much, and you've just begun.

So, success. It's not really a ladder. It's a state of mind, and for you, it's not about going up. Rather, I propose that you are spreading out, and operating in a way that even you cannot perceive entirely. But you do have clues, and one of those clues is that your world has gradually become a safer place in the past year, you have more resources available to you than ever, and you may have for the first time a sense of yourself that is tangible and solid -- rather than being emotional and watery. This is a very good start.

Emotions are important. Feelings are truly vital. People depend on your compassion. But you need to keep your emotions under control; you need a grip. And you've slowly got a grip over the past couple of years, and you've done a good job coming to terms with all that used to shake you up or undermine you from the inside.

In a very real sense, you have become the main authority in your life; you have become the one person whose word you trust the most. And you have earned your privilege.

Now, you're going to unleash a torrent of energy when it comes to developing how resourceful you are, and take the lead exploring your financial potential. You have been holding back a long time; you have been getting ready; you have been learning from your experiences. Now, you make a big move. There may be someone involved in this process, but I suggest you keep as independent as possible, following a pattern that has worked very well for you.

Learn from others, accept their assistance, listen to their ideas. But make your own decisions, and keep just your name on the deed, and be very cautious about situations involving joint finances. If people try to guilt you, disappear down the nearest stairwell.

This kind of financial independence you are creating will do more for your relationships than you can imagine; money is the metaphor for your personal independence, as well as your independence from the ideas and influences of your parents.

If you can get yourself past those struggles that do manage to hang up most of the human race, you will find that you're a truly independent and mature person relating to others in the same way.

Aries (March 20-April 19)
You need to decide if you feel insecure or daring. It's torture feeling both, and really, I doubt you're actually feeling insecure. What I would guess you're feeling, from the look of the New Moon chart this week, is the sense that you really want to take a chance but that there is a security factor to which you must attend. If you can start with that and work your way forward, you may find that any sense of a divided mind eases off. In fact you are in a safe and protected environment, and you're unlikely to take on anything that exceeds your level of actual responsibility.

Taurus (April 19-May 20)
There is a solution to your current situation, but you have to see it to believe it. Your tendency to exaggerate the importance of your feelings above your ideas about your life will slowly ease off, but that's probably at an all-time high at the moment. When you can see things more rationally, the solution will fall into your lap. For now, I suggest you keep up with the flow of feelings, or just let it pass through you. Do whatever is the least stressful in this moment. There are certain things over which you have no power. There are certain things over which you do. You may not be able to tell which is which today. But soon, I assure you.

Gemini (May 20-June 21)
You have everything going for you at the moment, though it -- something important -- may have yet to materialize. One thing I would remind you of is that the physical reality of an idea is sometimes not quite as vivid as the imagined notion. Or at least not at first. And the building process can take a long time. And it often needs to start on a modest level, and slowly draw the resources that will help you build. But you're well situated for your plans to move into the sphere of actual existence, and to experience this as a seed moment for the next stage of your life.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)
This week's New Moon in your birth sign, followed by a Full Moon in your opposite sign, coincides closely with Saturn's departure from Cancer. Together, these influences will function like a great wave of progress. But you need to be guided and propelled by the aspects rather than push yourself. Much like when someone gets a cast taken off, it's not a good idea to overdo it. At the same time, you need to stretch a little. Living with the kinds of limitations you've lived with has taught you a lot, and you'll be able to use that knowledge all your life. Now, gradually, another approach to existence begins to take center stage.

Leo (July 22-Aug. 23)
You're likely to be feeling everything inside you that's bursting to come out. There is plenty; you have a lot going for you, and you know it. No matter how far back we search your astrology -- let's be modest and say 10 years -- you've faced enormous adversity, and you've risen to the occasion. The effect has been to stabilize you, psychologically and spiritually. You have come to trust something in yourself much more than in your relationships, which has made your relationships better. Yet you have one or two major moves ahead that will complete the picture. Go with it; trust the process.

Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22)
You're being asked to live without something, or to live as if you were without it. Think of this something as part of yourself. Imagine that you're in a psychological experiment where you're relieved of the burden of self-consciousness. You're free to be you without that peculiar human quality of regret, or of seeking something better in the past or future. Note how you relate to your own needs in this space, particularly your need for companionship. Notice how it feels to offer yourself to others from this unusual point of clarity.

Libra (Sep. 22-Oct. 23)
I'll come right out and say it: nobody really has a clue about Libra, except for me. Okay, that's a huge exaggeration, but I will say, assuming I understand you correctly, that your ambition engines are firing right now, and you feel like you could find yourself in a position of power, influence and creative authority that you very much deserve and will carry off quite nicely. Whether you choose to keep your respectable, mild-mannered persona or become something a little more Oscar Wilde, matters not; what matters is that you take charge, and depend on how much people adore you for that particular maneuver.

Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 22)
Rather than argue, just do your thing your way. What matters, and what will matter in the end, is whether it is the right thing, so you had better be sure that it's exactly that -- which I am going to propose is true. You're likely to be feeling your sense of mission with unusual emphasis right now, and you don't have to worry where that's going to take you or why you need to go there. What you do every day is (and has always been) the primary way you define yourself, and in this respect, you stand in one of the truly great moments of your life.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 22)
Many factors are combining to push you into that bold region of reality known as BEYOND. This can and will take many forms, but you can be sure enough that what you now call your life will in some respect fade into the past, particularly the limits you've lived with regarding what you believe is possible. I suggest you take a long look at your beliefs and get clear with yourself about what you think is holding you back, and be prepared for some unforeseen factor that clears them out of the way, one at a time, but dependably as the Sun rising in the morning.

Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 20)
For Capricorn and Aquarius, the forthcoming sign change of Saturn is particularly momentous, since this is your planet we're talking about. For Capricorn, the new territory is about how you now get to place yourself at the center of your agreements. In a strange way, it's difficult to see how you have so often sold out for less than you believed you were worth, or allowed the most creative aspects of your personality to stand on the sidelines while other aspects of you were, in a sense, exploited. For your next major move, you take hold of something that's all yours, and you make it work for you and for everyone else.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb. 19)
You are approaching a point of focus in your most intimate partnerships. I would say a time to get serious, but you're nothing if not serious. Rather, as the next few seasons transform the landscapes around you, you will see that you're approaching a time when the many possibilities become the few; when the roads begin to converge into one clear path. The decisions you make will be more obvious than in the past, because the choices and contrasts become more obvious. In essence, you discover you have less room in your life for what is not true, and only room for what is.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March 20)
You're in the process of coming to closure on something that had long remained hidden in your life and which has finally revealed itself to you. I suspect that there has been a deep insecurity you carried, not knowing quite why that was, and at times not even knowing it was there. Saturn has lifted a burden off of your shoulders and your emotions. You will soon see what you're free to do once your strength and power can finally be directed toward a positive cause, a mission in life, and a way to express your commitment to service and well-being with full creative power.

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