March 29, 2004

Mars in Gemini

Last week most of the world's hotspots experienced sudden and troublesome developments. In the U.S. the 9-11 Commission witnessed a parade of leading government authorities, with counter-terrorism expert Richard Clarke offering a stunning testimony that transformed the dignified hearings into a political football. Also, as described here last week, the ballooning Medicare bill cast a pall over the federal deficit.

The bombshells began dropping as soon as Mars entered Gemini on March 21. Mars in Gemini places a premium on intelligence, which was what the 9-11 hearings were all about. Mars here is extraordinarily aggressive and temperamental due to the stressful aspects it makes to Uranus in Pisces and Pluto in Sagittarius. When Mars entered Gemini it began picking up the square to Uranus. Last week's events were sparked by the formation of this explosive celestial link.

Since the Mars-Uranus square took place as Pluto was turning retrograde, the most sensational news events likely marked the turning point in long-term geopolitical trends. Most spectacularly in the Middle East was the assassination of Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, but in Taiwan, China, Pakistan, and elsewhere the celestial tide shifted dangerously.

Mars goes on to oppose Pluto on April 24 and hits many critical points between now and then. In a world growing increasingly smaller through telecommunications and transportation technologies, Mars in Gemini is exceptionally strong. The U.S. natal Mars in Gemini enhances its position as a global leader. However, as transiting Pluto and Mars align with the U.S. Mars over the coming month, Americans can expect to become increasingly polarized over passionately held viewpoints.

Israel's Motivational Dynamic

Immediately following the helicopter missile attack that killed Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, tens of thousands of Palestinians took to the streets to demand their revenge. Hamas leaders vowed to target not only Israel, but for the first time, the United States as well. Although Yassin's replacement later retracted his statement against the U.S., the specter of Hamas uniting with Al Qaeda threatens to completely undermine the global war on terrorism.

Israel's national horoscope (May 14, 1948; 4:37 pm; Tel Aviv) reflects the current struggle taking place there. With Scorpio Rising, Pluto is Israel's ruling planet, and is found in the tenth house of authority. Pluto is naturally associated with political and military power, and tends to be pre-occupied with survival issues. Pluto here seeks command and control over anything that could challenge its status.

A key configuration in this chart involves Jupiter in Sagittarius opposite Uranus in Gemini. This adventurous combination forms hard aspects to Israel's Pluto (an octile and tri-octile, or 45 and 135 degree aspects), so that the three planets form a powerful motivational dynamic. By progressing Israel's horoscope, these three planets are now coming together in an historic alignment* that holds the potential for cataclysmic disaster.

This alignment unfolds over the coming year. Uranus-Pluto combinations are culturally volatile and prone to sabotaging the established order. The best example is the social chaos that accompanied the Uranus-Pluto conjunction of the mid-1960s. Factor in religious Jupiter, and Israel becomes a vortex for Islamic hatred. In the immediate future, transiting Mars in Gemini unleashes reprisals in late April. The worst-case scenarios await transiting Pluto's entrance into this three-planet dynamic next year.

Tom and Penelope Split