June 4, 2001
Nepal's Royal Astrologers
In the worst mass slaying of royals since the Romanovs were executed in
Russia's 1918 civil war, Nepal's Crown Prince Dipendra went on a shooting
rampage last Friday killing eight members of the royal family. Although
Nepal's royal family has virtually no political power, many Nepalese believe
the king is the reincarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.
Nepal's national horoscope is set for the coronation of King Birenda on
February 24, 1975 (8:37 am; Katmandu), and was arranged by court astrologers
who found this time and date to be very favorable. Unfortunately, Hindu
astrologers don't use Chiron, or even the outer planets Uranus, Neptune, and
Pluto. Had they deployed these important planets in the horoscope, they would
have undoubtedly found another date for the coronation.
A Hindu astrologer would have seen militant Mars favorably sextile to Jupiter
(royalty) in the secretive 12th house, which would point to the army's
favorable disposition to the royal family. But Mars square Chiron can be
murderous, and since Chiron is right on the Ascendant, this aspect would
dominate the nation's political landscape.
Other blind spots to the Hindu astrologers included Saturn in family-oriented
Cancer squaring traumatizing Pluto, and the Sun (representing the king)
squaring deceptive Neptune. Nepal astrologers don't use asteroids either:
Juno, the marriage asteroid, is conjunct Chiron, pointing to the reason for
the massacre. Prince Dipendra was enraged that his mother the Queen
disapproved of his marriage.
Atlantis Rising
A wave of Atlantis events is rising in the media. Disney is about to release
its blockbuster movie Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Then, the U.S Army is
rumored to have secretly discovered evidence of a buried civilization under
Antarctica's icecap, perhaps Atlantis. On a more mundane level, the Space
Shuttle Atlantis is in the news, and last week's #1 bestseller was Atlantis
Found by Clive Cussler.
Neptune is the leading astrological indicator for the sudden popularity of a
fad or fashion, especially when related to a fascinating mythology. Neptune's
ongoing square to the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant points to the rise of a new buzz
word, a seductive trend, or a catchy archetypal image. The mystery, the
potential of transcending normal reality, and getting swept away in
collective currents are all part of the Neptune symbolism.
But why Atlantis? Asteroid lovers have an answer for this, and it's found in
the asteroid named Atlantis. Atlantis just turned direct while conjunct the
U.S. Neptune, an astrological development which gives a name and a theme to
the Neptunian fantasies. On June 15 when the Disney movie opens, Atlantis
will have advanced to late Virgo, and will be very prominent by forming exact
aspects to the Sun, Jupiter, Mercury, Chiron, and Uranus.
Atlantis tends to be prominently placed in the horoscopes of New Agers. Edgar
Cayce (March 18, 1877; 3:20 pm; Hopkinsville, KY), the leading 20th century
proponent of Atlantis, has the asteroid Atlantis trine to Pluto at his
Midheaven. From this we can see how Atlantis figures in his ideas about
reincarnation, and the dramatic rise and fall of entire civilizations.
Nkosi's Mission
Nkosi Johnson, known as the longest living AIDs child, died last Friday at
the age of 12. Until he collapsed last December, Nkosi was a tireless
activist promoting safe-sex and anti-AIDs drugs across South Africa. Last
year he became internationally famous with a speech opening the 13th
International AIDs conference asking people not to shun those with the
disease.
Nkosi was born HIV-positive on February 4, 1989 (in Johannesburg, South
Africa; time unknown) with his Sun in humanitarian Aquarius. The Sun is given
a sense of urgency by closely squaring Pluto, the planet associated with
life-and-death circumstances, and further fueled by a square to energetic
Mars in Taurus. The same heroic/tragic Sun-Mars-Pluto configuration can be
found in JonBenet's horoscope (August 6, 1990).
Nkosi was born with six planets in ambitious Capricorn, including the epochal
Saturn-Neptune conjunction. These practical planets drive the personality
toward realizable accomplishments, generally in a step-by-step approach that
requires patience and endurance. With Mars trine Saturn and Neptune, Nkosi
became a master builder working in the realm of global education.
Chiron, the Wounded Healer, squares Ceres, the nurturer, and reflects the
fact that Nkosi was infected while in his mother's womb. This wounding
signature has a healing side, shown by the harmonious trine to the karmic
North Node. Nkosi's AIDs mission became his soul's evolutionary path, but
when transiting Saturn squared this North Node last week, his time on earth
expired. A South African High Court Justice said of Nkosi, "He was a person
with maturity far beyond his years, with the wisdom and courage of many
adults accumulated together."
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