• transformative times…

    Premise: The art of astrology is a curious mix of mathematics and the antique symbols which represent the planets and the signs. You have to master both of these subjects in order to interpret any astrological chart. The mathematical part belongs of course to the sciences, whilst the interpretation of the symbols relies upon the sensitivity, intuition and experience of the reader.

    Interpreting past events, be these regarding the life of a person or a worldly event, is not particularly difficult since one already knows the fact/event and just needs to look for the symbolic astrological and mathematical reasonings behind it.

    Forecasting precise future events is very difficult: some astrologers have a reasonable success, a very tiny percentage are often but not constantly accurate, while many more fail to even make the mark.

    In the following short essay, I will give more than one interpretation for any given transit – this is because planetary energies can go both ways, positive or negative, and sometimes we even find an “in-between” significance. We must also keep in mind that nothing acts or stands on its own in this world. We all have our own birth chart but we daily interact with other people, not only those we know but also by-passers, who all have their own chart, as do places, countries etc…so boundaries get blurred. Inter-chart interference is a little studied albeit very important part of all astrological interpretations.

    Please keep all the above points in mind as you read on!

    Mundane astrology gives different meanings to the houses to those usually used in natal astrology.

    Chart used but not shown: Italian Republic 10th June 1946, 18.10, Rome, Italy

    I’ll repeat the opening paragraphs of my article on Italy and the Coronavirus which I posted in March.

    Firstly, let’s consider the natal chart for the Republic of Italy, and in particular the secondary progressions at 10th March 2020 when the government introduced the first restrictive order.

    The SP Sun is at 29° Leo, conjunct the fixed Royal star Regulus, which can confer fortune and fame but its benefits do not always last. The 29° itself is a critical “all-or-nothing” degree that brings out the utmost of the characteristics of the sign as the planet prepares to occupy a new position in the zodiac. So, we might expect an exaggerated sense of self (as a country) wanting to make a mark on the world with decisive actions and self-confidence. On 20th July 2020, the Sun will advance by secondary progression to 1° Virgo (10 days after the country’s Solar Return) and, due to the movement of the fixed stars (1° every 72 years) will find itself still conjunct Regulus. After approximately 30 years of Leo flamboyance we will find ourselves in the much more pragmatic, practical, demure and modest energy of Virgo (but with a Sun again ruled by Mercury as per the Gemini radix Sun of the country but albeit in his more down-to-earth style) and hopefully with a great desire to help and assist. The Sun will be exactly conjunct the MC which in mundane charts indicates the government or Prime minister of the country.

    The years when the progressed Sun changes sign are usually pivotal for any chart.

    The SP Moon is already in Cancer, family mode, and will enter the balsamic Lunar phase on the 21st March 2020. Balsamic phases are the dark of the Moon before the light when destiny, transformation and release can be planned before the SP New Moon which will take place at 3° Virgo on 25th August 2023. Interestingly, the Solar Directed Moon is opposite the SP Moon and transiting Mars is conjoining it (on 10th March the day the first restrictive measures were introduced). It’s a 2-8 house axis opposition: fears for our family are contrasted by new restrictions that could unsettle us. This present “drama” could well lead to a totally new way of managing health care and a huge change in our daily habits and way of life.

    Balsamic Moon phases always bring trauma of sorts. The former two phases took place from:

    1961 to 1964, it began in the sign of Taurus (1-7 house axis) and brought issues such as the movement of the labour force from the countryside (Taurus) to the cities (from here 1 to there 7), the introduction of the welfare state and led to the economic boom as the Secondary Progressed New Moon took place in the sign of Cancer.

    1990 to 1994, it began in the sign of Gemini (2-8 house axis) and brought fear and terror from the Mafia attacks as well as “Tangentopoli” but led to a worldwide acknowledgement of Italian creativity, style and sportsmanship as the Progressed New Moon took place in the sign of Leo.

    On the day of its Solar Return this year Italy will enter a 3rd house year by profection, radix 3rd is ruled by Saturn which is square natal Jupiter, transits to and from Saturn and Jupiter this year will be important.

    Now let’s investigate the actual transits that the Italian chart will face this year:

    31st March 2020: Mars conjunct Saturn at 0° Aquarius in the 3rd house of communications and regarding restrictions (Saturn) caused by the pandemic (Mars – pestilence according to Ptolomy and Partridge). Radix Saturn finds itself in 9th house (law and foreign trade) and rules 3rd house (communications), radix Mars is in intercepted in 9th house (law) and rules 1st (the country) and 6th (the work force), many workers were told to stay at home and self-isolate. This transiting conjunction is quincunx radix Mercury in the 8th house, ruling the 8th (national debts, anguish and fear) and the MC (the PM, government). At the time of writing (1st April 2020) there is a lot of friction concerning how much money (8th house and Mercury) to give to the workers (6th house and Mars), what kind of laws can be made (Saturn and 9th house) regarding restrictions (Saturn) and how these will affect the national debt.

    5th April 2020: Jupiter conjunct Pluto (first of three hits) in the 3rd house, a huge transformational process is under way and press communications are informing us of this in a constant manner (Saturn rules 3rd house). Radix Jupiter is in the 11th house of hopes and wishes and more importantly of national programmes concerning social aid, Jupiter rules our 2nd house of finances and our 4th of homeland, Pluto in 9th (law and foreign trade) – Pluto, wherever it is found in a natal chart usually indicates drama of some kind –  rules the 1st of the country. These three passages of Jupiter conjunct Pluto will all be in orb of an opposition to natal Saturn and will be effective all year (remember we will be in a Saturn profection year as from June). Social aid will need to be ramped up immediately and for a lengthy period of time if we are to survive this crisis. Oppositions indicate struggles where a compromise needs to be found.

    20th April 2020: transiting North Node conjunct radix Mercury: “positive communications and important decisions take place” (Celeste Teal “Lunar Nodes”) regarding our national debts (8th house) and coming from our government (MC).

    21st June 2020: Solar Eclipse at 0° Cancer (visible in South Italy but shadow falls over the rest of the country too, see link in bibliography) conjunct radix Mercury in the Italian chart and quincunx transiting Saturn in 3rd house, important and responsible laws regarding our national and financial debts will be communicated. This is a so-called “lucky” eclipse by merit of it being in close conjunction to a stationary North Node, perhaps we will get the financial help we need as a country by virtue of new laws or from foreign aid. Nonetheless, Bernadette Brady in her book “Predictive Astrology” defines this eclipse with words such as “restriction, inhibition and illusion during which misjudgement of one’s own forces may be possible.

    In this Eclipse chart the transiting Ascendant is conjunct the Part of Fortune ruled by Sun (in 8th house radix Leo intercepted in 9th house). It could be a fortunate turning point of some kind for our national debt, also transiting Mars has recently made a trine aspect to natal Saturn, hard work and good decisions could be paying off.

    Still in the Eclipse chart, transiting Neptune is in orb of a trine aspect to natal Venus (ruler of 7th of allies and in 9th of foreign trade) might indicate that we’re seeing things through rose-coloured glasses but the aspect does not perfect because Neptune turns retrograde shortly after the eclipse thus distancing itself once more (although remaining in orb) and trines need stimulating to produce effects.

    More worrying in the Eclipse chart is transiting Uranus in 6th house (workers) exactly square natal Pluto (could be diffident about the law) in 9th. However, with Uranus being in Taurus which rules the 7th house of allies or of the internal opposition (always two ways to see things) the disruptions could come from this sector too. We might expect isolated and sudden explosions of violence and these should not be ignored or dismissed but mediated immediately.

    The ingress of transiting Mars in the sign of Aries and the country’s 5th house (rules 5th and 6th and is in intercepted 9th house Leo) at the end of June (it will remain in Aries until early January 2021 due to its retrograde period) will hopefully not concentrate its fervour in self-centred amusements and entertainments (first part of transit) but rather concentrate on being more productive in the creative talents of the work force and the country as a whole. In the early days of its transit in Aries, Mars will square the upcoming SE at 0° Cancer and then follow to square the SE at 4° Capricorn of last December thus activating both these eclipse points and bringing eclipse matters to the fore. Likewise, when Mars begins its transit of the 6th house of workers, let’s hope that enthusiasm in working together to get the country on its feet (and ourselves with it) might prevail over ferment and agitation particularly so when Mars make a 3-pass trine aspect to its natal position, natal Mars in Leo is bombastic, transiting Mars in Aries is incendiary.

    All year Solar Arc Directed North Node and Secondary Progressed Sun will be conjunct the MC (and fixed star Regulus), a lucky aspect and prominent time for our PM who will hopefully have made the right decisions to lead us out of these difficult times.

    I purposely haven’t made any mention to Covid-19 in this article, preferring to concentrate on the bigger picture of the Italian situation, I think we all know by now that it’s not going to end suddenly and that restrictions will be in force for yet a while longer.

    I want to believe that Saturn’s recent ingress in the social sign of Aquarius, albeit for a short time due to its retrograde cycle, will eventually lead to new responsible ways of living together, a one for all attitude rather than the blind individualism that has characterised the past years.

    If we keep our heads on our shoulders we should come out of this better than any of us expected.

    Bibliography

    Brady B. (1999), Predictive Astrology, The Eagle and the Lark, 5. Eclipses and the Saros Cycle, pp 207-236, Red Wheel/Weiser LLC, San Francisco USA

    Teal. C. (2012) “Lunar Nodes” Chapter 10 ‘The Transiting Nodes’, pp145-158, Llewellyn Publications, Minnesota USA

    https://www.vercalendario.info/en/moon/italy-21-june-2020.html

     

    Artwork: myskypie2020

    Copyright: myskypie.com2020