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 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 – Early indications of war and Khomeini’s death.

Part VI of the Iran Series – When would the war begin?

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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 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 – Early indications of war and Khomeini’s death.

Part VI of the Iran Series – When would the war begin?

Part VII of the Iran Series – The 2000 Great Conjunction and the Khomeini horoscope.

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The lunar eclipse on August 18 holds many clues about the possibility of a Western war with Iran. There has been much saber rattling from both Iran and Western nations, and the speculation about a possible military confrontation is running high. A major military intervention would definitely be seen in Iran’s horoscope, as it would cause substantial disruption to the country.

The partial lunar eclipse in August is very important for Iran astrologically; it occurs in the sign Aquarius, which traditionally rules middle Iran, and the eclipse will also be visible in Iran. Eclipses can activate “hot” points in a chart, and if a war in Iran was impending, this eclipse would definitely be involved.  [For examples of the way an eclipse can activate a horoscope, read this analysis of China and the August eclipse.]

2008 in Iran and Influences from the Lunar Eclipse

The astrological year is measured from the time the Sun enters the first degree of Aries, i.e. the first day of spring. This year shows problems for Iranians economically, and the tightening international sanctions and economic fallout from the hostility between Iran and the West is shown by Mars in the sign of its fall in Iran second house of economic assets. Mars afflicts both the ruler of the people, Mercury, and Saturn, the ruler of the government.

Aries Ingress 2008 Horoscope for Tehran, Iran

It will be a difficult year for the Iranian government, as shown by the ruler, Saturn, which is also the ruler of the lunar eclipse. Because Saturn is being afflicted by a very unpleasant Mars, the economic woes are going to weigh on the government more and more. Masha’allah, the ancient Persian astrologer, wrote that it was especially difficult for the king when his significator was the same as the ruler of an eclipse, and was afflicted by the malefics. All of these conditions are fulfilled in this horoscope, though the soft aspect between Mars and Saturn might show problems coming less from conflict than from a gradual tightening of the screws, as with economic sanctions.

Overall, I don’t see a strong potential for war in Iran this year. There may be an earthquake, however, as evidenced by Saturn in an earth sign in the fourth house, ruled by Mercury, the planet of earthquakes.

Lunar Eclipse and the Iranian People

It looks as though the tensions between Iran and the West will affect the well-being of the average Iranian most of all, apart from giving the Iranian government some sleepless nights. We have four planets in the fourth house in a Mercury sign, in an earth sign, and three of the planets are aspected by Jupiter in an earth sign. Again, there is a possibility of an earthquake; if it happens, it would be within three months or so of the eclipse. This seems more realistic than the probability of war.

Lunar Eclipse of August 2008 set for Tehran, Iran

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Another Solar Eclipse is upon us, this time falling at 18 Virgo, exact at 12:44 pm Universal Time. The Solar Eclipse will be visible in the lower portion of South America, specifically Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. We would expect these countries to be the most strongly affected by the solar eclipse.

In addition, countries and areas traditionally associated with Virgo (also Pisces, the opposite point of Virgo) may also experience difficulties. Virgo is associated with Africa, Athens, Babylonia/Mesopotamia, Basel (Switzerland), Bratislava (Slovakia), Crete, Croatia, southwest France, Jerusalem, and (Milan) Italy.

The most notable features of this eclipse are as follows:

1. The Lord of the eclipse (Mercury) conjunct the malefic fixed star Vindemiatrix, which is also known as the widowmaker, and is associated with trouble through overreaching.

2. Mercury is sextile a benefic Jupiter in Sagittarius, which should mitigate some of Mercury’s negative effects. However, despite Jupiter’s strength, it is in the detriment of Mercury, so the positive influences of Jupiter are not going to be as helpful to Mercury.

3. The eclipse itself is square Mars in Gemini, which is a negative testimony.

The duration of the effects of the eclipse will be just over four years, with the effect manifesting depending on the solar eclipse’s location in a given place. Some of the effects associated with solar eclipses in Virgo are increases in thieves/Pirates, an increase of dry diseases, especially those of the lungs and breath, religious schisms, high winds and earthquakes, and the drying up of streams and rivers (attributed to Mercury’s occidental position). This particular part of Virgo is associated with famine, plague, sedition, and drought. Lovely, isn’t it?

For the sake of interest, let us take a quick look at the eclipse as cast for Washington, DC. Here, we would expect the greatest effects within the first year, as the eclipse is in the general vicinity of the Ascendant. The sorts of effects would be the same as I listed above, with an added emphasis on Mars in Gemini, which also rules the 10th house of rulers and kings. Probably the most important point is the continued difficulty posed to the government, since a solar eclipse by its nature is bad for the ruler, as the Sun – the ruler – is robbed of its light (if other testimonies concur, since not all solar eclipses indicate problems for all governments). Here, the eclipse squares the ruler of the 10th house of kings, Mars in Gemini.

[Addendum 8/18/2007: The above chart is very close for the eclipse chart set for Lima, Peru.  In Lima, the "widowmaking" Mercury is about 3 degrees away from the Ascendant.]

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The next eclipse is almost upon us, and this time it will be a total lunar eclipse at 5° Pisces-Virgo. This lunar eclipse is going to be rather more dramatic in its effects than the solar eclipse, even though the geopolitical effects of solar eclipses typically last much longer.

The affected countries and areas (those ruled by Virgo and Pisces) will include Africa, Babylonia/Mesopotamia (Iraq), Croatia, Greece, Jerusalem, Paris, and Portugal. In addition, all places where the lunar eclipse is visible have the potential to be affected.

The eclipse falls right on the ascendant-descendant axis in Washington, DC, which is considered a powerful placement for an eclipse. The effects of the eclipse will last until late winter 2008, and will be most noticeable through late October, 2007. Whenever an eclipse falls on the angles in a given location, the effects there will be powerful. This eclipse is close to the fixed star Fomalhaut, which brings renunciation and sacrifice, an entry to the dark night of the soul, and an eventual re-emergence.

The Lord of the eclipse is Jupiter in Sagittarius, which tends to increase everything, including legal activity (as in creation and enforcement of laws), benefits to religious people, and those associated with higher learning. But Jupiter is opposed from the 10^th house by Mars, the god of war, so we will have the law opposed to war this fall. This is expected, as the debate over Iraq grows ever sharper in Congress, particularly around the September deadline imposed earlier this year. The war continues to harm the U.S. executive branch, as Mars squares the ruler of the 10^th house of kings, Mercury.

Saturn in Leo, the sign of its detriment, also falls a little bit too close to the Ascendant. This will produce a difficult time for all involved, with a pervading sense of gloom, even despair. This is not a fortunate placement.

Interestingly, the lunar eclipse falls on Vice President Dick Cheney’s natal Ascendant at 2 Virgo, and it will be shortly followed by Saturn’s transit over the Ascendant in late September. This is not an auspicious combination, and added attention to health and social standing would be beneficial.

Worldwide, the volatile, unstable Mercury-Mars square will produce wars, rebellion, and violence, particularly in areas where the planets are on the angles.

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This Full Moon horoscope looks relatively uneventful for Washington, DC (and I use that word advisedly!). We do not have any planets very close to the angles, with probably the best contender for an angular planet being Jupiter in Sagittarius in the 10th house. Jupiter rules the 10th house and 11th houses of the King (in our case, the president) and his advisors/the Army, respectively. Jupiter is of course very strongly placed, being angular and in its own sign. However, it is also retrograde, indicating some kind of retreat or change of direction.

This change will likely be triggered by the Sun’s trine to Jupiter (symbolically speaking, not necessarily by transit). The Sun is strong in its own sign of Leo, and it rules the seventh house of the nation’s open enemies. So the nation’s open enemies are forcing the government to take a different direction. The US government still has the advantage, as it is much more strongly placed in the 10th house than the cadent Sun, but the Sun is in a fixed sign, so it is not wavering in its purpose.

This theme is repeated, somewhat less pleasantly, by the Moon’s application to sextile Jupiter. The Moon rules the sixth house of illness, subordinates, and general nastiness and unpleasantness. In terms of a mundane horoscope, these are all the areas where the well-being of the country harmed. Because the Moon symbolizes all of these bad things and applies to contact Jupiter, this is another indicator of unpleasant/unfavorable circumstances forcing the government’s hand in reassessing their situation.

August Weather – U.S. East Coast

I don’t often comment on weather outside of the Western states in the United States, but this full Moon horoscope really caught my eye. As we go south along the East Coast from Washington, DC, the extremely nasty square between Mars in its fall in Taurus and Saturn in detriment in Leo becomes angular. Angularity empowers these two planets to do their thing, and this combination presages violent, windy storms for the month, with the effects being felt relatively far up north on the East Coast. The effects seem particularly acute in Florida, and the adjoining states. Of course for this location, a stormy August is nothing new!

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The astrology of politics and current events is fascinating indeed, and perhaps the toughest to get right, because there are so many influences happening at the same time. In this article, we will look at the major influences shaping up for the United States this summer.

The Aries ingress horoscope this year set for Washington, DC had a Cardinal ascendant, which means that we have to cast a new chart for every Cardinal ingress until the Aries ingress 2008.

The horoscope for the Sun’s entry into Cancer in Washington, DC is below:

The Lord of the year is the planet that is most strongly placed in the horoscope; in this case, that will be Mercury conjunct the midheaven. Mercury is very weak; it is Peregrine and retrograde/under the sunbeams. So the overall flavor of current events in Washington this summer will be problematic. Because Mercury is just outside the 10th house cusp (the house of the King, or in our case, the president), the problems will chiefly afflict the leadership of this country.

Mercury rules merchants, lawyers, politicians, and scribes/writers. It rules the ninth house, which is the house of secret enemies to the King (the 12th from the 10th). So the president/government will be afflicted by secret enemies who are merchants, lawyers, etc. this affliction may be in response to something the president or the government had done, as Mercury is in mutual reception with the ruler of the 10th house, the Moon. The president’s supporters, cabinet, or the Army will seek to stop the secret enemies, because the Sun, ruler of the president’s second house, afflicts Mercury.

So how is the King? The Moon is in the 12th house of secrets, Peregrine, and without aspects. He does not have very much power to act in the situation, though the mutual reception with Mercury suggests that true political disaster will not strike. At the very least, the leadership and the secret enemies are interdependent, creating a situation of mutually assured destruction.

I noted that Mars is in the seventh house in its own sign. The traditional authorities say that a strong and angular Mars in an ingress horoscope means war. Since we are already at war, we will be seeing more of it. This placement reminds me of the Mars in Scorpio in the seventh house in President Bush’s 2001 inauguration chart, which forecast the Iraq war.

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It seems as though it was only yesterday that we talked about the effects of Jupiter square Saturn on the Republican Party here in the United States. Jupiter and Saturn now trine one another, so we see yet another step in the evolution of the seed potentials sown in 2000, when Jupiter and Saturn conjoined. The horoscope for Jupiter trine Saturn, set for Washington, DC (in GMT) is below:

Notice how Jupiter, which is quite strong because it is in its own sign of Sagittarius, a strongly placed right at the bottom of the chart in the angular fourth house. Saturn, by contrast, could not be weaker. It is in Leo, retrograde, and in the 12th house. However, Saturn in the 12th house is in the house of his joy, and Saturn can be quite strong in the 12th because it is as though he has his back against a wall and will not budge. This reminds me very strongly of the current political situation in Washington, DC, with the president and the Cabinet being extremely defensive about their foreign policies.

However, in the United States grand conjunction chart, Jupiter rules the 10th house of the ruler. Therefore, any aspects to Jupiter that Saturn in its detriment makes can be seen as afflictions to the country’s ruler. It is fascinating to see that the ruler of the country, Jupiter, is in the fourth house, which is the very bottom of the chart, and it is afflicted out of the 12th house of self undoing, secrets, and hidden enemies.

The unusual thing with this particular trine is that Jupiter and Saturn will continue to move together and be sort of locked in this trine for the next three months, when the exact aspect will occur again in May 2007. This is fairly unusual, that the two planets are going to be in aspect for so long, giving us the sense that any pressures in place around March 16, will remain in place through May.

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Horary Question:

Will the U.S. go to war against Iran? I was just reading in the Guardian (British newspaper) that George Bush is going full steam ahead to bomb Iranian nuclear sites before he leaves office.

—G.

Nina Gryphon:

Dear G.,

Yours is certainly an interesting question, and it is unusual in that it affects many more people than just yourself and those around you. Horary astrology can be very helpful in answering specific questions, and it usually does best in answering questions in which we ourselves have a direct personal stake. Things like wars between nations are best ascertained from eclipse charts, charts for great conjunctions, and so on. However, at the very least, answering this question will showcase some of the techniques that ancient astrologers used for answering such questions with horary. Again, we must emphasize that the old astrologers used to work for the people who were actually waging the wars, as many of them were in the employ of kings, princes, and various war-loving nobles. We have to expect different levels of accuracy if Bush asks this question than if you, the average American, ask the question.

I cast a chart for the moment that I understood your question, and the horary chart is below:

We first see that the ascending degree is 28.5° Aries, a late degree. This can show that the questioner feels the situation is somehow inevitable. Given the overwhelming pressure that the US has been putting on Iran, your feelings are not unjustified. Since you are an American, we will give the US the first house and its ruler, Mars in Capricorn. Iran is ruled by the seventh house of the open enemy, and its ruler, Venus in Pisces. We also look at the Moon as the general flow of events, and notice that it is in Scorpio and void of course. When the Moon is void of course, absent any other testimony, we assume that nothing will happen.

We notice that Venus and Mars are in mutual reception by triplicity, giving us a sense that both parties have a lot at stake here, and the incentive to resolve issues without going to war is quite high. William Lilly, the 17th-century astrologer, writes that armies will clash when the Lord of the first and Lord of the seventh houses are conjunct in an angle, or aspecting one another with a square or opposition. It can also happen if the above aspects between the two planets are created by the translation or collection of light. We see that Venus and Mars are applying to a sextile; so under Lilly’s rules, this would not indicate war. However, we can expect some kind of contact between the two countries, given that it is a sextile, one would hope it is diplomatic rather than military.

Another way to analyze this horoscope is to treat it as a “is the rumor true?” type of horary. For that, we look at the angles, looking for fixity. We have Cardinal signs, which is not terribly encouraging as far as reliability. We have Gemini on the third house of rumors, which is highly unreliable, and its ruler Mercury is highly afflicted by its placement in Pisces, which is another mutable sign. So, though I am not a fan of “is the rumor true?” questions, I believe that from this perspective, the rumor is shown to be untrue. All this, of course, taken with a big grain of salt for the reasons explained above.

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One of my astrological interests has long been determining death in the chart; many other astrologers (and people in general) prefer not to go there. This may have to do with our modern attitude toward death. We are simply not very comfortable with it. And yet, it is a huge part of life, and I feel is best to come to terms with it sooner rather than later. This is one reason why I have been very interested in the chart of James Kim, the Californian who died in Oregon a few weeks ago, while trying to get help for his stranded family. Specifically, I wanted to understand exactly what it was in his chart that would show such an unfortunate fate.

Last week, I looked at potential influences in his natal horoscope, and today, I will look at what was going on in his progressed chart, which is simply the natal horoscope moved forward to a specific point in time. That point will have been the approximate date of death.

We see an odd combination of factors at work in his horoscope, with factors showing bodily danger but also indications of fame. It is fair to say that Kim was never so famous as after his death. Most ominously, we notice that progressed Venus, which rules the natal eighth house of death, opposes the natal Moon in the malefic sixth house. I did not like this Moon much in the natal chart due to its essential weakness and bad location. Regardless of what Kim’s horoscope looked like and where that Moon is actually placed (since we are using only a noon chart), it is clear that a potentially difficult contact to it would be very serious.

We also see that the progressed Sun is entering the highly malefic 12th house – as the Sun is the indicator of life, entering the house of self undoing is not a good thing.

And yet, we also see indications of fame, at least in the noon chart, which seems to be fairly efficacious for this purpose. The Sun is about to sextile the Midheaven, a traditional indicator of fame or enhanced public standing. The progressed Moon is approaching the Midheaven, another hint of renown. I imagine that it can had not died, this would have been a very good year for him in his career. Sadly, it proved otherwise.

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