For many people, the events of 9/11 are considered clear and fully explained. Whether these people are in the majority is another question, Still, I have no intention of addressing the still-mounting number of theories, except to point to the level of uncertainty, the improbable nature of much of the official story and the vast array of alternate theories about what happened on that bright September day in New York 17 years ago.
It should, however, be borne in mind that whoever was the mastermind of the attack has not been revealed to this day. That in itself is a great mystery since the usual purpose of such attacks id to draw attention to a specific cause or to exact some form of an ultimatum. This was hitherto the way terrorist attacks worked. They usually conveyed a specific threat, yet to be delivered, or involved the taking of hostages to be used for leverage during bargaining. Anonymous terrorist attacks were virtually unheard of before the events on 9/11 in New York. We do know that Osama bin Laden stated that he admired the attack but couldn’t take credit for it.
The astrological community was quick to tally who had been able to predict the event, with many saying it would be impossible to predict the precise date and the exact place. To the best of my knowledge, nobody did just that.
Just as mysterious as the details of the event itself is the astrological prediction of the event, which was overshadowed by the attention on Robert Zoller, who was at the time riding on a wave of great astrological celebrity, in no small part due to his many contributions to traditional and particularly Medieval Astrology. Even today on Astrology Restored he is listed as “the world’s leading proponent of Medieval Astrology.” In the same place, he is credited with the prediction of the attack on New York,
This is the graphic representation of the Total Solar Eclipse of 11 August 1999 to which Zoller refers. One of the most fundamental rules for the judgment of an eclipse is that it must be visible to have any influence on a given area. In this case, although it is a very impressive eclipse, it is not visible on US soil. In fact, the maximum point of this eclipse is over Romania, on the other side of the world. It does, however, pass through several European and Middle Eastern countries and onward to Pakistan and India, as far as the Bay of Bengal. The duration of the eclipse was 2 min 23 s.
This detail is one of the most perplexing elements in Zoller’s prediction. It simply wouldn’t qualify, yet he is meticulous in explaining the time frame of the alleged effect. The 1999 eclipse apparently has an effect that lasts 30 months. He doesn’t say why. However, we are fortunate to have his own words, on the larger topic, published in his Nuntius newsletter. He writes
” From September we are entering a period of increased danger to us in the West. In an earlier Nuntius I said that there is an increasing threat to the US citizens and this is particularly so on the Eastern sea boarder. I have also said that this threat is linked not so much to a new boldness in terrorist planning but more to US incompetence. At that time I couched those remarks as being non-astrological so as to play down the warning but I say again as was said in the July Nuntius if the US does not cease acting incompetently, it will invite the depredations of adventurers such as Osama bin Laden and Saddam. This is a wake up call. Our way of life and cultural values (& our lives) are at stake. “
Again, there is no reason given for this specific information. I cannot imagine how it could have derived from consulting the eclipse alone. This account could have been written by anyone with an understanding of current events., as has been noted by others No date is given. No specific location is given. It’s would appear to be a useless prediction from that point of view because the most important utility of prediction is to warn or offer preparatory information. The US and the Western world was bracing for terrorist attacks, such as had already occurred. Elsewhere, Zoller had warned of Chinese forces working with Al Qaida in the desert, which proved to be incorrect.
He also wrote: “”As the next 12 months unfold we will see increased tension in those countries that fell under the path of the August 1999 eclipse but after the end of August 2001 this will take on a new twist and it will be the last 6 months of the eclipse effect that will be the worse.”
That refers to so many countries, many of which are in a constant state of tension It’s a throwaway line and ultimately tells us nothing. We are curious to know what else Zoller might have used but didn’t mention. Zoller could have used several other tools available to Mundane astrologers, such as various Ingress charts, Planetary Phases. Profections, Primary Directions, Lunations, Revolutions and more. If he used any of these I’m not aware of it.
So, if he is telling us that the time range of the eclipse is 2.5 years, that would fit the (approx) 2,5 minutes of duration of the eclipse. But I repeat: the eclipse did not fall on US soil, we still have a wide time frame and the eastern seaboard is a massive area. Why did he not consult other elements? If he did, he doesn’t mention them with any coherence. If he was certain of the attack, why did he not warn anyone in a position to get the word out so that thousands of lives would be saved? Why does he initially make the prediction as if as a casual observer, only to claim it was really a prediction?
There were two Lunar Eclipse in 1999, one on 31 January with maximum eclipse in the Philippines and the other on 28 July with maximum eclipse seen in the central Pacific. neither of these is mentioned by Zoller or any other astrologer, to the best of my knowledge. There was an Annular Solar Eclipse across Western Australia on 116 February 1999, with the maximum eclipse Again, the lack of visibility in N. America would rule out any interpretation of an event in New York. Yet Zoller refers to another eclipse that didn’t stretch to N. America either.
He had predicted the election of George W. Bush, referring to him as “a younger less experienced member of the House of Bush.” It’s a prediction that many people from all walks of life might have made with confidence. but it stands out because the language reads like a mimicry of prophets such as Nostradamus. It’s as if we are being thrown off the scent at every turn, left wondering if there was anything to find in the first place. Below is a chart for the eclipse set for New York, even though it was not visible from anywhere in the Americas.
We see that Saturn and Jupiter are moving into Superior Conjunction. This occurs approximately every ten years and has been considered of great astrological importance since antiquity. This [henomene marks a new epoch. This consideration is crucial in most Mundane readings of this type. It hasn’t happened yet, but it soon will on 31 May 2000 The 12th House of hidden enemies is the point of the eclipse. Mars is in perfect opposition to Saturn. As with the eclipse itself, which places the stress om the alleged enemies of the US. Venus is her Fall and Retrograde, and Lady of both Saturn and Jupiter. I have no way of knowing if Zoller consulted a chart anything like this, but it seems likely considering his emphasis on the eclipse.
Below is the chart for the first plane crash into the WTC. I add ir here to see, even in a general way, what Zoller might have envisioned. What was he looking at that would convince him that the attack would be from Muslim fundamentalist? Islam is under Venus and the eclipse was in Leo. There really is no reason why Zoller would consult such a chart. unless it was after the fact. I leave it here for those wishing to examine this chart.
This is by no means intended as a person or a professional attack on Robert Zoller, who has a well-founded reputation as one of the most important astrologers of his generation. However, readers have raised these questions and I thought it best to put out there for an explanation and an opportunity for discussion. Moreover, when a high profile astrologer makes such a prediction, they must expect to be questioned on how the prediction was made. The eclipse needs to be explained anew or disqualified as part of a prediction if, in fact, a prediction occurred in the first place.
The one astrologer that predicted the attack to the exact day was a popular but unpretentious astrologer named Lynne Palmer who wrote: ““Avoid terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001” in her almanack. Robert Hand recognizes hers as the only accurate prediction but has not been able to discover how she arrived at such an accurate conclusion.
As a footnote, there is another way of looking at this, but I see no evidence that Zoller did so. The eclipse cuts through countries such as Iraq, Iran, Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. This is a complete list of the countries who felt the wrath of the US military, but none of them was proven to be responsible for the 9/11 attacks. The scapegoat was primarily in Iraq and then Afghanistan. This was the question I asked at the time.
If you google this subject, you are sure to come upon a critique of this alleged prediction at http://www.skepticreport.com/sr/?p=535. The writer states that ” In fact, whenever Zoller was precise, he was wrong. Whenever he was waffling, he now claims accuracy. ” These are harsh words, but, as always, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
The Classical Astrologer 
Let’s start at the beginning. I like the article because it is long overdue. I think astrologers love the idea of Zoller nailing it which is part of the reason there has been little request for an explanation. I was even told he did give an explanation to his students, and that would be fine, but I haven’t seen it, so I think we are on pretty safe ground by inquiring.
We should also note that Robert Zoller is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease and has been for some time, so it is understandable that he wouldn’t be on top of some things. There are lots of things I don’t get around to doing and there is nothing wrong with me.
It’s also true that the Skeptical Inquirer published a perfectly idiotic “critique” of Zoller’s prediction written by someone with little or no knowledge of astrology. It is only natural that we would circle the wagons around the prediction, but that doesn’t answer the question. Finally one of his students, I don’t recall whom, wrote a defense, but that defense didn’t reveal any method either. So we’re left with a valid prediction but no technique.
My concerns with what we do know are twofold. One is the claim that a two and one half minute eclipse equals a two and one half year effect. In turn I take that to mean that for 2 1/2 years after the eclipse the eclipse chart is valid. I accept that many astrologers old and contemporary agree with this, but I can’t figure out why. Secondly my question is not, well if not 2 1.2 years how long a real time period does totality symbolize? My question is: can we use eclipse charts as stand-alones as though they are the ultimate radical chart? Without Zoller’s explanation, I don’t think that question is answered.
Zoller is known to incorporate some of the astrology of Jean Baptiste Morin deVillefrache (1583-1656) into his work, and a lot of Morin is now translated into English that was not available to Zoller when he was very active and not in the early 2000s. But in Book 25 of Astrologia Gallica, Morin argues that since an eclipse is simply a lunation that occurs very near the ecliptic, and that we consider planets close to the ecliptic stronger than planets that are farther away, an eclipse is simply a very strong lunation and should be treated as such. Furthermore its effects last only to the next eclipse (solar to solar; lunar to lunar), and that it is not a radical chart but subordinate to the current Aries Ingress. There is a logic to this that is more satisfying than what is usually taught, but “satisfaction” is not the same as “correct. ”
So what did Zoller do? Did he set up the eclipse chart for the USA (he uses NYC not DC as NYC is the financial and therefore the de facto capitol of the US) and deduce if from that? Did he use it in conjunction with a USA chart? Did he use it at all?
A few years back a story came around about a mathematician who wrote a few centuries ago, that he found a “wonderful little proof” of a long believed, but never validated theorem. Before he revealed that “wonderful little proof,” he died and took his proof to the grave with him. It took a few hundred years and a computer to find it. I hope we are never placed in that position.