Gryphon Astrology Blog

Having examined the astrological indications for war in Iran in the late 1970s and 1980s, we will now look at what the next 12 years hold for Iran. The same sensitive points that presaged the 1979 revolution and the Iran-Iraq war should be activated again in the event of another war.

The Khomeini Foundation Horoscope

The horoscope for the moment of Khomeini’s Landing in Iran on February 1, 1979 is still valid for our purposes, because it begins the era of the Islamic Republic in Iran. We saw that the Mercury-Mars-Sun conjunction in Aquarius and Jupiter’s opposition thereto were activated prior to the Iran-Iraq war. We will keep a keen eye on this configuration going forward.

The 2000 Grand Conjunction

The Grand Conjunction occurs every 20 years, and foretells the fate of nations for the upcoming 20-year period. The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction in Taurus was uncomfortably close to the malefic fixed star Algol, associated with the mythological monster, Medusa. Algol is a violent star of the first order. While the Jupiter-Saturn-Algol contact occurred around the world, in Tehran the Jupiter-Saturn-Algol conjunction fell in the seventh house of open enemies. It also squared the Midheaven of the conjunction chart, afflicting the King, or the government and Supreme Leader.

At least some portion of the years 2000-2020 will not be good for Iran’s government. We also note that Mars is just inside the 8^th house of death, and that the malefic (but royal!) fixed star, the South Scale, is on the Ascendant. Vivian Robson writes that Lucida Lancis is of the nature of Saturn and Mars, the two malefics, and is called The Insufficient Price. It causes “malevolence, obstruction, an unforgiving character, violence, disease, lying, crime, disgrace, and danger of poison.” Bad times for Iran, compounded by Scorpio rising, a malefic sign in mundane astrology.

Connections between the Khomeini and the GC 2000 Horoscopes

The afflicted Ascendant of the conjunction conjoins the Sun of the Khomeini chart by antiscion. This portends malevolent afflictions to the country, perhaps due to disease or generally harmful happenings (the Sun rules the Khomeini 6^th house).

The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction afflicts the Khomeini Mercury-Mars-Sun-Jupiter configuration by antiscion. This is a further indication of violence and mayhem.

However, the financial state of Iran during this 20-year period looks positive, at least for a while, due to – wait for it – Iran’s oil riches. Venus rules the Khomeini 2^nd house of the nation’s money, and the Moon rules the 4^th house of riches in the earth. In the GC 2000 chart, Venus and Moon are sextile in benefic houses, indicating oil wealth indeed. However, Venus is combust, indicating that the money will be hidden, perhaps by the government (the Sun’s light hides Venus) and in the 7^th house, may be spent on covert pleasures, as Venus conjoins the Khomeini 5^th cusp by antiscion. The fact that Venus is in the 7^th house indicates that Iran may not have control over its money at some point during this 20-year period, or it may spend it on 7^th house matters, such as war.

Next week, we will look at primary directions to the Khomeini chart to determine what will happen in Iran, during this 20-year period, and when.

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Read Part I of the Iran Series - The seeds of the revolution in the Shah’s Coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction charts.

Part II of the Iran Series - The revolution draws near: Eclipse hits to the coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction.

Part III of the Iran Series - The revolution is here and the Shah is deposed.  Aries Ingress charts for 1977 and 1978.

Part IV of the Iran Series - War comes again: the charts for the Islamic Republic and the 1980 Great Conjunction.

Part V of the Iran Series - War is Inevitable, but when will it happen? Using Aries Ingress charts to narrow down the year.

Part VI of the Iran Series - Narrowing down the time of the Iran-Iraq war and Khomeini’s demise.

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Last week, we narrowed down the possible dates for a war in Iran to 1980/1981, and for the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Khomeini we got 1988/1989.  This week, we look more closely at these years and find out which year is the relevant one.

When Would the Iran War Start – 1980 or 1981?

The 1980 Aries Ingress Mars is on Regulus, a fierce, bombastic royal star, conjunct the expansive North Node. This combination is quintessential warlike puffery; “I’ll see your gas weapons and raise you a few thousand foot soldiers!” This configuration occurred around the world, of course, but in Iran, we saw it in the Ingress 1^st house of the nation as a whole. Mars rules the Khomeini 1^st house of the Iranian people, so they will be deeply affected.

And, of course, they were, with the Iran-Iraq war resulting in 100,000 Iranian young men dead. Still, Mars in Leo has little essential strength – this was a war that Iran could ill afford. Just a year after the revolution, Iran obviously believed that it could quickly end the conflict and instill a much-needed shot of Iranian national unity in the process. I suspect that this is the reason the war ballooned to the unbelievable dimensions it did; Iran was still in the “Regulus” mindset, where creating and maintaining an image of military might became paramount. The 1980 Aries Ingress indicates that the border skirmishes of 1980 didn’t have to turn into a full-blown war. But the Mars in Leo egos on both sides simply would not back down.

The 1981 Aries Ingress looks much more serious; 1980 was the dress rehearsal, with everyone excited about the war. The 1980 Ingress was like the opening of Gone with the Wind, with Southern society folk excited about the prospect of beating the Yankees, with the young men parading around in their brand-new military uniforms. The Sun-Mars conjunction is right on the Khomeini Ascendant. Note that Mars is in its own fiery sign of Aries, so the war is in full swing, it is also combust, indicating that the Iranian people both could not see what they were getting into, and they were also afflicted by their ruler (the Sun). Though I cannot find data on this, 1981 must have been the year that Iranians began getting drafted in significant numbers, since the Mars-Sun conjunction is on the Ascendant, ruling the people.

The 1980 Jupiter-Saturn conjunction was on the malefic fixed star Vindemiatrix, associated with widowhood and regret. The Jupiter-Saturn-Vindemiatrix conjunction is still active in the 1981 Aries Ingress, and falls on the Khomeini 7^th house cusp of open enemies. The Moon in the Aries Ingress opposes the Khomeini Moon and Ascendant, and is immediately applying to oppose the Ingress Mars. Oppositions are particularly warlike, and this Ingress simply screams “war!” Finally, the 1980 Great Conjunction Mars opposes the Ingress Midheaven. When we see a planet afflicting the IC/MC axis, it afflicts the Asc/Desc axis by mundo aspect, so all four angles of the Ingress chart are electrified by this Mars.

Death of Khomeini

Last week, we determined that Khomeini would likely die in 1988 or 1989. The 1988 Ingress is suggestive of death; the Moon rules the turned 8^th house of death in the Khomeini chart, and applies to trine Saturn (the ruler of the King). Jupiter conjoins the Moon, however, so we might assume that Khomeini at least got a reprieve in 1988. The 1989 Ingress does not look as positive, however; Saturn is right on the 4^th house cusp of the grave in the Ingress. The Moon applies to trine Saturn – this time, there are no helpful interpositions. Moreover, the Moon is conjunct the Khomeini chart Saturn. Without a doubt, 1989 would be the fateful year for Khomeini. He died in June 1989.

Coming Next Week: Using the methods shown in all the previous parts of this series, we will start examining the 2000-2020 period for Iran and determine whether war is likely.

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Read Part I of the Iran Series - The seeds of the revolution in the Shah’s Coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction charts.

Part II of the Iran Series - The revolution draws near: Eclipse hits to the coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction.

Part III of the Iran Series - The revolution is here and the Shah is deposed.  Aries Ingress charts for 1977 and 1978.

Part IV of the Iran Series - War comes again: the charts for the Islamic Republic and the 1980 Great Conjunction.

Part V of the Iran Series - War is Inevitable, but when will it happen? Using Aries Ingress charts to narrow down the year.

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Our goal in the Iran series is to discover whether Iran is headed for war. To do so, we will explore the astrological indications of Iran’s previous war, that with Iraq. Last week, we looked at the foundation chart for the Islamic Republic of Iran, that of Khomeini returning from exile in 1979. We also examined the great conjunction of 1980 set for Tehran, Iran. Both of these horoscopes have sensitive points that may be activated when war is imminent; the Great Conjunction horoscope indicated that war during the following 20 years (between 1980 and 2000) was a real possibility.

We would also keep an eye out for any indications of Khomeini’s death, since he was already an old man when he assumed power, and the likelihood of him dying between 1980 and 2000 was quite high.

Today, we will use eclipses to determine just when war and Khomeini’s death were indicated. Twenty years is a long time, and eclipses are a handy way to narrow down our time horizon.

1981: Indications of War

Two solar eclipses aspecting the Khomeini chart promised war. They both activated the Sun conjunct Mars in that horoscope. There was another such eclipse in 1990, but it did not produce anything, except an American invasion of Iran’s neighbor. It appears that at least two such eclipse hits are necessary to produce an effect in Iran:

February 1981 – the eclipse activated the Sun

July 1981 – the eclipse activated the Sun, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter

Two lunar eclipses, in July 1981, and January 1982, activated the Midheaven of the Tehran Great Conjunction of 1980 around the same time as the eclipses hit the Khomeini chart.

Because the first eclipse occurred in February 1981, we would look at the Aries Ingress horoscope for March 1980, and for March 1981. The actual invasion by Iraq occurred in September 1980. We will look at the Ingress charts next week

Khomeini’s Death

No fewer than three eclipses in 1988 and 1989 hit Saturn in the Khomeini chart (January 1988, March 1989, and August 1989). Why is Saturn important? It rules the 10^th house of the King, or the Supreme Leader, in this case. Three hits to the King’s significator in the Reza Khan coronation chart were more than enough to depose and eventually kill the Shah. Khomeini died in June 1989.

We will look at the Aries Ingress horoscopes for the 1980, 1981, 1988, and 1989 next week. The goal is to follow the thought process of an astrologer examining these charts in 1980, who did not have the benefit of hindsight, like ourselves. Only then can we hope to predict major events with confidence and accuracy.

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Read Part I of the Iran Series - The seeds of the revolution in the Shah’s Coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction charts.

Part II of the Iran Series - The revolution draws near: Eclipse hits to the coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction.

Part III of the Iran Series - The revolution is here and the Shah is deposed.  Aries Ingress charts for 1977 and 1978.

Part IV of the Iran Series - War comes again: the charts for the Islamic Republic and the 1980 Great Conjunction.

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This series looks for indications of war in Iran’s horoscope, both to examine past events and to identify the possibility of war in the future.  Last week, we examined Iran’s 1977 and 1978 horoscopes for indications of the Shah’s fall and of the revolution.  This week, we examine the horoscopes for the Islamic Republic, with an eye out for indications of the devastating Iran-Iraq war.  We hypothesize that the same indicators promising the Iran-Iraq war will also forecast any major future conflict in Iran.

Khomeini Arrives in Iran

Just as Reza Khan’s dynasty had a founding chart, that of the 1926 coronation, the start of the Islamic Republic can be traced to Khomeini’s disembarking in Iran after a period of exile. Khomeini returned to Tehran on February 1, 1979.

This chart is stunning in its symbolism of opposition to the Shah: its ascendant at 4° Aries is exactly opposite the coronation ascendant at 4° Libra. Moreover, the Khomeini chart also has the Moon just inside the ascendant at 7° Aries, opposing the coronation Moon at 5° Libra.

There are plenty of indicators of future violence in this horoscope. The Khomeini Moon and ascendant are near violent stars of the nature of Mercury, Mars, and Saturn. We also want to keep an eye out for the eighth house cusp near the South Scale, which indicates violence and evil. The chart’s close conjunction between Mars and the Sun is also important, indicating the warlike nature of the Republic’s rulers, and their propensity to get Iran involved in conflict.

The Iran-Iraq War and the Great Conjunction of 1980

The Great Conjunction of December 31, 1980 triggered most of the violence-prone points in the Khomeini chart.

The Great Conjunction itself fell on the malefic fixed star Vindemiatrix, a.k.a. the Widowmaker. This was the case worldwide, but in Tehran, Jupiter and Saturn opposed the Khomeini ascendant and Moon (both indicators of the country’s people). Jupiter and Saturn also activated the Sun-Mars conjunction by trine aspect. The Great Conjunction Moon is in fall in Scorpio, a Mars sign, conjunct the Khomeini eighth house of death. Finally, the Great Conjunction MC is at 21° Cancer, halfway between Castor and Pollux, the mortal and immortal twins, respectively. Both stars are violent.

In contrast to the Great Conjunction which presaged the Shah’s fall, the 1980 Great Conjunction does not show danger to the government. However, there is plenty of suffering directed at the Iranian people, since it is mostly the first house of the people, its ruler, Mars, and the Moon (natural ruler of the people), which are heavily afflicted.

Next week, we will look at more specific timing for the conflict predicted in the 1980 Great Conjunction in Tehran, Iran.

[Read Part I, Part II, and Part III of the Iran Series to catch up, if you're just joining us.]

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Last week, we used eclipses to narrow down the most likely time for conflict in Iran. The time frame was the 20-year period between two Great Conjunctions, 1961-1980. Very heavy eclipse activity activating both the 1961 Great Conjunction horoscope and the Reza Khan coronation horoscope (1926) pointed toward 1977 and 1978 as the most dangerous two years in the ’61-’80 period for the Shah and the country.

So, we have the timing of potential upheaval, and our next task is to find the nature of the events. We look to the 1977 and 1978 Aries Ingress horoscopes. These are the charts cast for the moment that the Sun enters Aries, showing important events and influences for the coming year.

1977 Aries Ingress set for Tehran, Iran

This horoscope looks ominous for the Shah. A very debilitated Saturn afflicts the 10^th house of the King, trine the Moon in Aries. The Moon represents the people, and Aries is the fall of Saturn. The people will cause the King to fall; in a Mars-ruled sign – the fall occurs by violence.

The 1977 solar total eclipse that triggers the Great Conjunction and coronation charts occurs at 19 Libra. It is ruled by Venus, which rules the King’s open enemies (the hard-liner Muslims, ruled by Venus). Venus is in the 6^th house with the malefic South Node in the Aries Ingress, conjunct the 10^th house of the eclipse chart. The King is afflicted in 1977.

1978 Aries Ingress set for Tehran, Iran

The violence intensifies. The Shah in this horoscope is ruled by Mars, ruler of the 10^th house. Mars in Cancer, the sign of its fall, is conjunct the 7^th house of the country’s open enemies. The Shah is in his enemies’ power and is in real danger of falling. This conjunction is activated by Mars in the 1977 Solar Eclipse. Moreover, the Midheaven of the April 1978 eclipse is conjunct the Mars-7^th house conjunction as well.

Further, we have the Moon, which rules the Shah in the coronation horoscope, trine Venus in detriment, and applying to Mercury in Aries. Mercury rules the 8^th house of the Shah, the radical 5^th house. Physical death, perhaps, but also the death of the dynasty, and the end of a royal era in Iran. The Shah died in 1980, but his future was already made clear in the Aries Ingress horoscope for 1978.

Next week, we will look at a whole new set of horoscopes for Iran, this time for the Islamic Republic, in order to determine the current sensitive points in Iran’s horoscope, including indications of the Iran-Iraq war. This will help us determine whether war in Iran is likely in the near future.

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Read Part I of the Iran Series - The seeds of the revolution in the Shah’s Coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction charts.

Part II of the Iran Series - The revolution draws near: Eclipse hits to the coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction.

Part IV of the Iran Series - War comes again: the charts for the Islamic Republic and the 1980 Great Conjunction.

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As we discussed last week, this series aims to look for astrological triggers that reliably foretell serious conflict in Iran. Given the current uncertainty about a possible war with Iran, looking at past indications of war in that country should be useful to help us predict any future wars there. Last week, we looked at the two key charts for the 1961—1981 period in Iran: the coronation chart of Reza Khan (1926) and the Great Conjunction of 1961. Both of these charts held clues to the timing and nature of the 1978-1979 revolution in Iran.

Upheaval in Iran: The Great Eclipse Search

Both solar and lunar eclipses are a malefic influence on world affairs, and typically act as triggers of Bad Things happening in the world. They act most powerfully on the angles of state horoscopes, and any planets closely aspecting those angles. This is because the angles represent the four cardinal elements of a state: the people (1^st house), the land and the king’s enemies (4^th house), the enemies of the state (7^th house), and the government (10^th house). When eclipses afflict these points, the balance between these four elements is lost, and chaos reigns.

1926 Coronation of Reza Khan

If we do a search on eclipses hitting the angles of the Reza Khan coronation chart, we find several possible candidates:

1. Lunar Eclipse – December 1963 on 4^th/10^th axis

2. Lunar Eclipse – June 1964 on 4^th/10^th axis

3. Solar Eclipse – March 1968 on 1^st/7^th axis (also aspecting the Moon, the Shah’s significator)

4. Lunar Eclipse – March 1978 on 1^st/7^th axis (aspecting the Moon)

5. Solar Eclipse – October 1978 on 1^st/7^th axis (aspecting the Moon)

Eclipses in the 1961 Great Conjunction

An astrologer would carefully watch other astrological testimony around the 1978 eclipses, because we have two direct hits to the angles, mere months apart. However, the same is true for the first two eclipses on the list. The next step would be to look for confirming evidence in the 1961 Great Conjunction horoscope.

1961 Great Conjunction - Tehran, Iran

Only four eclipses contact the angles in the 1961 chart, and of those, two are anywhere near in time with respect to the Coronation chart eclipses:

1. Solar Eclipse – December 1977 on 4^th/10^th axis (aspecting the Moon)

2. Solar Eclipse – April 1978 on 4^th/10^th axis (aspecting the Moon)

We have a repeating theme here, from 1977 through 1978. It wasn’t that difficult to narrow down the most difficult time for Iran from 20 years to two years.  So, we have the “when,” for a Bad Thing to occur in Iran, but we still lack a “what,” other than expecting the “what” to be malefic as per the nature of eclipses.

In Part III of this series, we will look at the horoscopes for 1977 and 1978 to determine the nature of the problems the eclipses promised.

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Read Part I of the Iran Series - The seeds of the revolution in the Shah’s Coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction charts.

Part III of the Iran Series - The revolution is here and the Shah is deposed.  Aries Ingress charts for 1977 and 1978.

Part IV of the Iran Series - War comes again: the charts for the Islamic Republic and the 1980 Great Conjunction.

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With all the talk about a potential war on Iran, it is useful to look at historical patterns in Iran that foretold upheaval or war in that country. Then, we can apply what we learned from these astrological omens for Iran to the astrological conditions today. This is the most honest and most painful way to do mundane astrology, and it involves lots of charts. Lots and lots of charts! The sheer number of horoscopes involved is the reason this series will run in installments.

Iran Dynasty – Reza Khan Coronation in 1926

Coronation horoscopes tend to work pretty well to symbolize the beginning of a royal dynasty, sometimes even the beginning of the country as a whole. One example is the frequently-used coronation of William the Conqueror in England, which is often taken for the beginning of the British Empire. The Book of World Horoscopes states that Reza Khan, the commander who deposed the existing Shah in a coup d’état, was crowned on April 25, 1926, at 4:10 p.m. local time.

Reza Khan Coronation Horoscope

Apart from the angles of the coronation horoscope, there are two other sensitive points: the Moon in Libra, which rules the 10th house of the King, and Venus itself, ruling the first house of the people and the country as a whole. The warlike theme of this dynasty is indicated by the ruler of the preceding lunation at 21 Aries, Mars. Mars in the coronation horoscope is partile square Saturn, in perfect mutual reception by sign. Mars rules the seventh house and is placed in the fifth, indicating harm to the dynasty by the open enemies, who will also be the nation’s children, or young people.

Underscoring this theme is the fact that we have Mercury, the natural ruler of young people (as students, as ruler of the ninth house), placed right in the seventh house of the dynasty’s opponents. However, when we have the two malefics afflicting each other as we see here, not only will young people be the enemy of the dynasty, but they too will come to harm.

1961 Great Conjunction: First Hints of the Revolution

An astrologer examining the once-every-20-years Great Conjunction chart set for Tehran in 1961 would feel a little worried. The conjunction Mars is in Cancer, the sign of its fall, and conjunct the midheaven — the house of the King — in the coronation horoscope. The King falling by violence is the most obvious interpretation of this combination. This is the same Mars that foretold conflict and bloodshed in the pre-coronation lunation horoscope. Mars afflicts the Moon by a square aspect. The Grand Conjunction Moon is conjunct Venus in Aries. Venus is the planet of Islam, here in detriment, in the Martial sign of Aries, at the very lowest point of the horoscope. The King is definitely in trouble, and will be brought down through the Islamic religion.

Grand Conjunction 1961, Tehran, Iran. 00:02 GMT.

The young people who would become enemies of the status quo do not fare well in the Grand Conjunction chart, either. Mercury is in the sign of its detriment and fall, Pisces, and is partile conjunct the malefic South node, right on the weak sixth house cusp of the coronation horoscope.

The Midheaven of the Grand Conjunction is conjunct the benefic fixed star Spica, perhaps indicating that the King will escape the worst. However, with the extreme afflictions from Mars, this is rather cold comfort.

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Read Part I of the Iran Series - The seeds of the revolution in the Shah’s Coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction charts.

Part II of the Iran Series - The revolution draws near: Eclipse hits to the coronation and 1961 Great Conjunction.

Part III of the Iran Series - The revolution is here and the Shah is deposed.  Aries Ingress charts for 1977 and 1978.

Part IV of the Iran Series - War comes again: the charts for the Islamic Republic and the 1980 Great Conjunction.

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The solar eclipse of August 1^st, 2008, will occur in Washington, D.C., right at sunrise.  This timing makes it a potentially powerful eclipse, because it means it falls right on the ascendant at Washington.  However, an eclipse in itself means nothing without links to larger horoscopes for longer cycles. 

As readers of this blog know, I like to use the 1762 Grand Conjunction chart for the birth horoscope of the United States.  We can see that this year’s Aries ingress, the horoscope for the moment that the Sun enters first degree of Aries, puts the ingress Mars in Cancer (the sign of its fall), right inside the grand conjunction second house of money.  So here we have an affliction to the national solvency.  What activates this financial problem is the fact that Mars opposes the grand conjunction Moon in Capricorn.  This Moon is a bit of a weak spot for the United States, as it is in the sign of its detriment, Capricorn.

For those using the popular Sibly horoscope for the U.S., there is substantial grist for the mill as well.  This year’s Aries Ingress puts Jupiter in Capricorn, the sign of its fall, right on the 2^nd house cusp of the chart, opposing the natal Sun.  Money problems?  You bet.  It is said that benefics in weak signs, like Jupiter in its fall, look good on the outside, but are rotten within.  So with the hyperinflated mortgage market in the U.S., which is now coming home to roost, along with the high gasoline prices.

So even without resorting to an eclipse, we can see from this year’s Aries ingress that it will be a difficult year financially for the United States.  An official, statistical recession may or may not occur, but I can assure you it will (and already does, for many) feel like one.  August’s set of eclipses, both lunar and solar, emphasize the financial difficulties felt in the United States.  The lunar eclipse ascendant conjoins the Grand Conjunction Moon in Capricorn, again activating the Moon-Mars opposition out of the second house of finance.  The lunar eclipse itself falls right on the Moon in the Sibly chart, with Mars conjunct the natal Midheaven.  This indicates harm to the people, and to the government.  The solar eclipse (chart below) Jupiter still hugs the Sibly 2nd house cusp, showing continued financial distress.

Even more amazingly, both the solar and lunar eclipses have the 4th/10th house axes fall on the 6th/12th house axis of the Great Conjunction.  Both eclipses have the Midheaven in the last degrees of its signs, showing the exit of the King.  To translate that from Astrospeak into normal English, the end of a governmental era draws to a close during the second half of this year, and none too gracefully.  I expect the country’s financial woes to become more acute as the year goes on, in fact, very shortly after the solar eclipse of August 1.  Because of the 10th house involvement with the malefic 6th and 12th houses, the financial crisis will be quite harmful to the current administration, and I expect its term to end on a significant down note.

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To finish our series on the next U.S. president, today’s post will comapre the astrological charts of Barack Obama and John McCain for presidential or “royal” qualities.  We have looked at their horoscopes individually, but now we can compare the candidates’ horoscopes side by side for strengths and weaknesses.  There has been a great deal of debate about the candidates’ real birthtimes; all our posts take the commonly accepted times for the candidates.  If the birthtimes turn out different than those currently known, all bets are off.

Barack Obama’s Horoscope: Presidential Enough?

We have looked at the “royal” characteristics in Obama’s horoscope from two ancient astrologers’ perspectives – that of William Lilly and Guido Bonatti.  Their rules are similar but not the same.  The analyses below sum up the findings from the previous analyses.

Obama’s Strongest Card: The Sun in Leo in the 6^th house.  This is not a very strong card, as the Sun is under the horizon and in a malefic house with no major aspects.  The next strongest card is in even worse shape, with Mars, ruler of the 10^th house of honor, in the 8^th house and trine Saturn in Capricorn in the malefic 12^th house.  Most importantly, Obama’s horoscope does not appear to have any prominent royal stars to help lift him to the presidency.  Because of the relative weakness of Obama’s chart, McCain’s horoscope would have to be weaker still for McCain to lose the 2008 election.

Obama’s Horoscope for Autumn 2008: Obama’s Venus will be active by secondary progressions, aspecting his natal Part of Fortune and conjoining the North Node.  This is beneficial in general, but Venus is not one of the significators in Obama’s chart promising fame or prominence.  Interestingly, his solar return for 2008 shows Jupiter in the 7^th house of opponents, an interesting parallel to McCain’s 2008 solar return (see below).  Again, the relative strengths of the horoscopes matter: McCain’s horoscope would have to be weaker than this to lose to Obama.

John McCain’s Horoscope: By a Hair?

McCain’s Strongest Card: Two royal stars, Spica and Hercules, are near the Ascendant and Midheaven, but barely within the acceptable orbs.  Still, this is better than Obama’s horoscope, which does not have royal stars.  McCain also has a very favorable (though not strictly royal) star, Canopus, right on his Midheaven.  This star is also conjunct George W. Bush’s natal Sun. 

McCain’s natal Mars-Jupiter trine is quite lucky as well.  Mars is in the fortunate 11^th house trining Jupiter in Sagittarius in the 3^rd house.  This configuration was active by primary direction when McCain was shot down in Vietnam and nearly died.  That itself was not very lucky, but his miraculous survival against the odds certainly was.

McCain’s Horoscope for Autumn 2008:  His progressed Sun trines the Midheaven in January 2008, his progressed Midheaven trines the Moon (ruler of the natal Midheaven) in April 2008, and progressed Mars trines the Moon in October 2008.  The luminaries are not especially strong in McCain’s chart, but the Midheaven itself is.  When the Midheaven is “lit up” by the Sun and Moon, William Lilly says that these promise “great preferment…and shall govern the Common-wealth.”  Mars, again, is a fortunate planet for McCain.  McCain’s solar return has Saturn on the 7^th house cusp of opponents, possibly indicating misfortune for his opponent.

John McCain’s horoscope appears to be slightly more presidential and luckier than Obama’s, so assuming the candidates’ birthtimes are correct, McCain has an ever-so-slight advantage over Obama for winning the 2008 election. 

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John McCain may or may not have the horoscope of a potential president; the evidence is underwhelming thus far. We looked at McCain’s horoscope a few days ago, and while there were some redeeming features, it was not an outstanding presidential horoscope. Interestingly, this election year does not have a clear winner from an astrological perspective. Barack Obama’s horoscope is equally finely balanced.  We long for the days of Bill Clinton, whose horoscope broadcast “royal” astrological characteristics far and wide.

Today, we will look at John McCain’s presidential qualities from Guido Bonatti’s perspective, as detailed in his treatise on nativities.

John McCain for President?

Bonatti’s Criterion 1: What is the condition of the Sun, the 10^th house and its ruler, and the Part of the Kingdom (I used Asc + Moon – Mars for McCain’s day chart, as per Bonatti’s tract on Arabian Parts), and the ruler of the Part?

McCain’s Horoscope: The Part of the Kingdom in McCain’s chart falls at 2 Aries, where it is opposed by Mercury in Libra in the 12^th house, and ruled by Mars in Leo in the 11^th house. Mercury is not very strong in McCain’s horoscope, but Mars is well-placed in the fortunate 11^th house, trine Jupiter in Sagittarius in the 3^rd house.

The planets should be strong by sign and/or aspect from benefics. None of the planets are strong by sign, but Mars is trine a powerful benefic, Jupiter in its own domicile, Sagittarius.

Bonatti’s Criterion 2: For the planets listed above, the oriental planets should aspect the Sun and the occidental ones should aspect the Moon and Saturn.

McCain’s Horoscope: Only one of these conditions is true for McCain, and it probably isn’t worth much for king-making purposes: Venus in Virgo (the sign of its fall) is occidental and opposes Saturn in Pisces, retrograde in the 6^th house.

Bonatti’s Criterion 3: The condition of the almutens of the 10^th and 1^st houses should be strong. In McCain’s chart, those are the Moon and Saturn, respectively.

McCain’s Horoscope: Neither planet is very strong in McCain’s horoscope; the Moon is in the sign of its fall, in the lowest part of the horoscope, while Saturn is weakly placed in Pisces in the 6^th house.

Bonatti’s Criterion 4: Angular benefics above the horizon should aspect the Sun and Moon, or a planet in the midheaven, preferably with reception. The luminaries should be in masculine signs, with the planets named in Criteria 1 and 3 in good condition.

McCain’s Horoscope: The Sun and Moon are not aspected by benefics above the horizon, and the luminaries are feminine. The only truly “royal” complex is Mars in Leo trine Jupiter in Sagittarius, which has likely saved McCain time and again.

John McCain does not have an overwhelmingly Presidential horoscope, a similarity he shares with Barack Obama. However, as we saw in the previous post about his horoscope, John McCain does potentially have two royal stars, Spica and Hercules, near his Ascendant and Midheaven, which would be enough to give him the election.

In addition, McCain has a very powerful (though not strictly royal) fixed star right on his Midheaven; Canopus. Vivian Robson writes that Canopus on the Midheaven gives “great glory, fame and wealth, dignity and authority by the help of an old clergyman or influential person.” Perhaps this would be enough to get him to the White House!

Later: The Grand Finale. A post comparing our findings on Barack Obama and John McCain’s horoscopes, and which candidate, in our humble opinion, is better positioned to win the 2008 elections.

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