Aja’ib al-Makhluqat Wonders of Creation) by al-Qazvini; recto Symbol of the Sun
Reading a chart for the Ingresses and Solstices has become a tradition here, following a truly ancient tradition. Because of these points are crucially relevant to the Solar cycle, they have tended to be a time of celebration across cultures and time, virtually universal. The Aries Ingress chart provides us with the Lord of the Year and what we may expect to dominate the year. I’ve had a policy of brevity on these occasions and in any case, the interpretation will differ in many details due to the selected time zone.
Mars is the undisputed Lord of the Year, He’s exalted in Capricorn and with the South Node. This rarely if ever ends well. The most critical situation involves Mars and Saturn besieging Jupiter and the Ascendant. Guido Bonatti tells us that a besieged planet is one that separates from a malefic and applies to another (Con. 6). It shows a situation that is going from bad to worse. Saturn is in his own Domicile but in the Anaretic degree and with Mars as his Altumuten. Using Whole Sign, this nest of vipers squares the Sun. The Moon in Aquarius is also in a Saturnine domicile.
Both Capricorn and Aquarius oppose the lights – Capricorn the Moon and Aquarius the Sun. Nevertheless, the Sun is strong and exalted in Aries and holds the anchor, as it were. However, it is still in a martian sign and the overall picture is easy to see. We might say that Jupiter is weak by sign, but still a benefic. But considering that Jupiter is under siege from the two malefics and in detriment, he is unable to act effectively,
The results are there for all to see. We have a pandemic with no known antidote that is besieging entire countries. Moreover, the locust seams, the greatest in decades, have spread from Africa to the Middle East and to the Subcontinent. Both are forms of contagion and beyond human control at this point. This won’t be an easy year, although we have opportunities that only such catastrophes can reveal. The greater catastrophe would be to miss them.
An Ethiopian girl attempts to fend off desert locusts as they fly in a farm on the outskirt of Jijiga in Somali region, Ethiopia January 12, 2020 Giulia Paravicini/REUTERS
To put this in perspective, Saturn will form a Grand Conjunction with Jupiter at the end of there year in the Saturnine sign of Aquarius. I have written substantially on this phenomenon on this blog. Essentially this Conjunction will set the stage for the next two decades. The Grand Conjunctions heralds what we may call a mini-age. Saturn will be much stronger than Jupiter. The phase we are well into at this time is fraught with great challenges to humanity, both existential and ethical in nature.
Every astrologer needs to be wary of bias so that personal and political views, as these can distort judgment. On the other hand, the astrologer doesn’t live in some ethereal world where everyday matters are of no interest. In this case, without exaggeration, the future of democracy is in grave peril, as it is throughout much of the world. The EU is not a democratic entity and has become increasingly authoritarian. This should not go ignored or unchallenged.
Previously I wrote an article related to Brexit entitled “House of Lords” This one is aptly entitled “Parliament of Fools” with apologies to Chaucer, after a headline from a British newspaper. I offer the visual of the Ship of Fools painted by Hieronymous Bosch. The Ship of Fools is symbolic of folly and nefarious incompetence on a grand scale.
I do have a great affinity for Mundane Astrology, but this proclivity does not generally extend to political astrology – such as the wildly popular astrological predicting of election results. However, one of my most-watched political processes over the last three year has been the twisted and torn path of Brexit. It’s personal insofar as the UK is my homeland and I sincerely believe that the UK would be far better off outside of the EU.
Some very recent events have only strengthened my view. One is the ongoing power struggle between France and Germany over further expansion, and more disturbingly perhaps is the shrill and insistent call for a European Army to replace NATO. This might seem like a sensible idea to some, but it would make 27 countries subordinate to all issues relating to the military.
George Galloway explains Brexit and the attempts to frustrate the democratic will of the British people.
It should be noted that the prime Minister had been opposed and thwarted at every turn from both Houses and the Supreme Court. He offered to call an election, but the opposition refused. It was essentially a stalemate. A law was invoked to prevent the PM from exiting the EU on 31 October 2019. without a deal. The opposition was happy to disrupt and discredit but still refused to take the issue to the polls. So, the deal made by the PM and the EU was considered almost miraculous and even some members of the Labour Party agreed to back it. Yet one watched the debates in Parliament, one could hardly ignore the fools, with nothing to contribute and in violation of the democratic will,
Brexit has been referred to as one of the major domestic political events for centuries. Certainly, the Brexit vote itself is the largest in UK history, Even so, I refrained from astrological speculation.
Then unexpectedly, Boris Johnson returned from Brussels with a deal that looked like it had a very good chanc.e of being passed. I was content to wait and see. But it also piqued my interest. After all, this could change everything.
I had been working on another article and was up late at night. I decided or was more probably inspired to read a Horary on whether the Brexit bill would be passed of not. Just like everyone else in the world, I have my biases – these I do my best to root out and set aside when reading any kind of chart I’m sure we are all familiar with the effect of consulting our trusted news sources, but I had gone beyond that. I thought there was some hope for the passage of the bill but had reconciled myself to the fact that either outcome was a realistic possibility. This represented a major shift and I wanted to see what it looked like by way of a Horary chart.
Upon finishing what I was working on I cast a Horary chart. The question was what will happen to the latest Brexit deal in Parliament.
The first thing I noted is that the Moon was Void of Course. Some astrologers take this as a cue that the chart is not radical and therefore cannot be read. I’m not one of them, but the temptation to bargain with fate by seeking a redeeming marker flashed fleetingly across my consciousness before I was fortunately restrained by better judgment.
The various elements in the chart are worth exploring, but the fact is that the Moon had already announced that “nothing will come of it.” If one had tuned in to watch the preliminary discussions in Parliament, one might be forgiven for optimism. Nevertheless, in counting the afflictions to the Moon we find that all the following apply:
“The 5th is when she is with the Dragon’s Head or with the Dragon’s Tail, that is, within twelve degrees of either of them, because that is the place where she is eclipsed. The 6th is when she is in Gemini, which is the twelfth from her own House. The 7th is when she is at the end of the Signs, which are all Terms of the Infortunes, except the last 6 degrees of Leo,”
There is more. The last aspect she made was opposition to the Part of Fortune with Jupiter and she is applying to Mars. She is the term of Saturn and Saturn with South Node, is Lord of the 7th House – this represents the opposition.
Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers on the Right
The Fourth House is “the end of the matter.” Curiously, the connection between Venus and Mercury is an echo of the House of Lords. One has the impression of indulgence in malice of thought.
Finally, we have what is known as the collection of light. Here we see that Mars and Venus are not in aspect, but Venus is sextile Saturn. Mars is squared Saturn So, Saturn is not any of the essential dignity rulers of Venus: Saturn is the Exaltation Ruler of Mars.; Saturn collects light from Venus and Mars. This makes Saturn that much more potent.
The Classical Astrologer 