May 19, 2003
Saudi Arabia's Pearl Harbor
Last week a wave of suicide bombings and other terrorists acts struck hotspots around the global village. Attacks in Chechnya, Casablanca, Colombia, Jerusalem, Baghdad, and Saudi Arabia coincided with the Mars-Jupiter-Neptune alignment (as foreseen in the May 5 NewsScope). Probably the biggest wake-up call occurred in Riyadh where officials only days before repeated assertions that Al Qaeda posed little danger to the kingdom's domestic serenity.
Saudi Arabia became an independent nation on January 15, 1902 (3:45 am GMT; Riyadh) with its Capricorn Sun sandwiched between a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction. This triple conjunction makes it a powerful international player and a pillar of the international business community. When transiting Pluto opposed the Sun in 1936, a vast desert treasure of oil was discovered, a fateful turn that fully empowered the Islamic monarchy.
Last week's three-planet alignment hit the Saudi Mars, creating a sudden call for action. Now the once complacent Saudi government is undergoing a major reassessment of its internal terror threat. Transformative Pluto adds to the momentum by being conjunct the Saudi Uranus, sparking a genuine revolution in thinking.
Political observers have equated these bombings to the 9-11 attack in the U.S., or more dramatically, as the Saudi's Pearl Harbor. The root of the problem is that the monarchy's legitimacy rests on its Wahabi clergy, which in turn has supported a pan-Islamic movement across the Middle East. Transiting Pluto turns direct in late August exactly opposite the Saudi Pluto (the ruler of the Midheaven), indicating a complete overhaul of the government structure is in order.
The Nature Conservancy Under Attack
In a series of investigative reports, the Washington Post recently reported that the Nature Conservancy is consorting with Mobil Exxon and other mega-corporations that have made giant financial contributions in exchange for sweetheart deals. Last week the eco-friendly organization hired outside lawyers and the nation's largest public relations firm to head off a Congressional probe into its activities.
While the roots of the Nature Conservancy (NC) can be traced back to 1915, the present entity with its mandate to buy and protect pristine land was created on September 11, 1950*. A horoscope drawn for this date (noon, Washington D.C.) puts the current scenario in perspective. The NC Sun is in practical, service-oriented Virgo, and with the conjunction to Saturn, shows the ambitious, long-term approach favored by the management team.
The NC Mars in Scorpio squares Pluto, a double intensification of the Mars energy. This Mars is driven toward reform, and to beat out competitors at any cost. Mars square Pluto here wants to be the most powerful eco-force in the world, and the Nature Conservancy has largely accomplished this status. In the process, the environmental group has allied itself with major U.S. corporations and received huge financial grants and loans.
The NC chart features a Venus-Jupiter opposition, an indicator that the quest for big money is an integral part of its inherent character. At the moment, transiting Uranus is aligned with this planetary pair, bringing to light the NC's shadowy finances. A long-term influence is the transit of Pluto squaring the NC Sun-Saturn, guaranteeing that this case is just beginning to unravel. The Nature Conservancy's very survival is at stake.
Keanu Reeves, ReLoaded
The much anticipated "Matrix Reloaded" became the largest opening in the history of movies last week, grossing some $42 million on its first day alone. Thrust into the Hollywood spotlight, Matrix star Keanu Reeves was the calm center surrounded by the frenzied attention of the celebrity media. Reeves, a.k.a. Neo, praised the filmmakers for their new cinema techniques that created the unparalleled imagery.
Keanu Reeves was born on September 2, 1964 (Beirut, Lebanon; time unknown) with his Virgo Sun conjunct that era's epochal Uranus-Pluto conjunction. The Uranus-Pluto conjunction was the celestial signature that brought so much social upheaval in the 1960s. Those born with their Sun or other personal planets closely aligned with this combination tend to channel the revolutionary fervor of that time, so that they personify dramatic change in some way.
Astrologer Adrian Duncan** writes succinctly about this Sun-Uranus-Pluto combination, saying that this individual will embrace and live out some future archetype that shakes up the complacency of others. In his personal life and most clearly in the Matrix movies, Reeves is playing out this role. Since Saturn and Chiron oppose this powerful alignment, much trial and trouble has followed Reeves through his life, including the 1994 death of his close friend River Phoenix and in 2000 his girlfriend Jennifer Syme.
"Matrix Reloaded" opened on the day of the lunar eclipse, which happened to align exactly with Reeves' Jupiter, a sure sign of sudden success and fame. At the same time, transiting Uranus is hovering around his Saturn, ensuring that his safe world will not be much protection against all the excitement he's generating. The next sequel, "The Matrix Revolutions", opens November 3, 2003.
* for more info see http://www.citizenreviewonline.org/may_2003/big.htm and http://nature.org/aboutus/history/
** see his outstanding new book "Astrology, Transformation & Empowerment"
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