Astrology of Eclipses: Iraq and the Lunar Eclipse of March 3, 2007
January 29, 2007 by admin
The lunar eclipse of March 3, 2007 will be visible from all continents, and the entire event will be visible in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Asia, Australia, and the Americas will only see portions of the eclipse. The eclipse will occur at 13° Virgo with the totality (the total obscuration of the Moon’s disk) lasting about 37 minutes. According to Ptolemy, all countries and cities ruled by the sign in which the eclipse occurs will be affected. However, those places where the eclipse is visible are especially strongly influenced.
Places traditionally ruled by Virgo:
Africa, Arezzo (Tuscany, Italy), Assyria, Babylonia (part of today’s Iraq), Basel (Switzerland), Bratislava (Slovakia), Brindisi (Puglia, Italy), Croatia, Cuma (Asia Minor), Erfurt (Germany), Gallia (France, Belgium, etc.), Jerusalem, Lyon (France), Mesopotamia (see Babylonia), Milan (Italy), Papia (Italy), Paris, Rheine (Westphalia, Germany).
Modern states and countries (those founded since about 1700) are not going to be found in the above lists, so we must include all places from which the eclipse will be visible. This lunar eclipse will be visible from all continents, so we cannot exclude any country.
Lunar Eclipse’s Effect on Iraq, March 3-June 4, 2007
Given the terrible situation in Iraq today, it is particularly disturbing that the lunar eclipse will affect modern-day Iraq (Babylonia/Mesopotamia), because the country falls under the rulership of Virgo. Moreover, you can see in this horoscope for the founding of Baghdad that the eclipse will be about 5° from the midheaven of Baghdad itself. The potential for serious and dramatic changes stemming from this eclipse is substantial. The horoscope for the lunar eclipse as seen from Baghdad, Iraq is below:
The effect of the eclipse will be felt for a little more than three months after the fact, so we can expect any event related to the eclipse to occur between March 3 and June 4, 2007. The eclipse is at the top of the chart, which means that the effects will be particularly strong between April 3 and May 3, 2007, the second month of the period in question.
The Lord of the eclipse is Mercury, because he rules the sign of Virgo. Mercury is somewhat debilitated in the above chart, as it is retrograde, but at least it is in its own triplicity in Aquarius. Interestingly, in Baghdad’s founding horoscope, Mercury rules the country’s enemies or invaders. As I explain in this article about Baghdad’s horoscope, the city was founded at a time chosen to prevent conquest of the city by enemies.
I do believe we are going to see some serious changes in the way that Iraq is administered during the three-month period, and may even see the beginning of withdrawals from Iraq. Mercury is retrograde in the eclipse chart, which makes me think that there will be some backpedaling regarding the United States’ involvement in Iraq. Moreover, the same eclipse falls right on the ascendant-descendant axis in Washington, DC, often a sign of dramatic changes in the country in question.
Astrology of Current Affairs: New Moon of October 21/22
October 17, 2006 by admin
[The 15th-century picture above proves, by the way, that the soul patch is not a 20th century invention. Though it does look rather hotter when accessorized with a full suit of armor and a sword.]
The new Moon on October 22 (or October 21, depending on where you are) is happening at 28° Libra. We can expect a great deal of talk and communication during the following lunar cycle (about the next 28 days), at least in the United States. The new Moon is happening in an air sign, which rules speech, and it is in the third house of speech. Can you tell it’s election season?
We can expect a continued focus on sexual morality, as with the Mark Foley congressional page scandal, since the new Moon falls in the middle of a conjunction between Venus in Libra and Mars in Libra. Venus is very strong in Libra, because Libra is the sign of its domicile. Mars, however, is very weak in Libra, because it is opposite the sign of its home, which is Aries. Mars is about to move into the sign where it is strongest, which is Scorpio. However, there is a sense that things will get worse before they get better. This probably describes the general political and public climate in the United States right now, which is very fragmented and polarized. The fact that the Moon is applying to Mars, and will translate the light from the Sun to Mars, shows we can expect an unpleasant martial climate in the near future.
As of this writing, there is talk that North Korea is preparing another nuclear test. This would certainly be appropriate, given the heavy Mars influence we can expect. However, I’m optimistic that the tense and confrontational climate, both domestically and internationally, will be resolved harmoniously. This is because the new Moon is disposited by the very strong and conciliatory Venus in Libra. So there is a sense that all is well that ends well.
In the realm of real life, we can expect additional negative news about the American economy. I do not like the looks of the detrimented Saturn in the first house, which represents the nation’s people. Saturn as such symbolizes poverty and want, and in detriment shows a particularly nasty version thereof. Saturn squares Mercury, which rules the second house of finances. Saturn also rules oil, because oil is black, and is found underground. Oil prices likely will start to climb again during this period, afflicting the nation’s resources.
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