BROKERING PEACE
This weekend’s solar eclipse (21 Libra) is similar – but not identical – to a solar eclipse on the same date in 2004.
That year, the Israeli Defense Forces launched Operation “Days of Penitence”, otherwise known as Operation “Days of Repentance” in the northern Gaza Strip. The operation lasted between 29 September and 16 October 2004.
As in 2023, action began ahead of the eclipse. The cosmos doesn’t ‘do’ exact repeats, yet the similarities between events in 2004 and 2023 are notable.
The state of Israel was declared on 14th May 1948 at 16.00 local time in Tel Aviv. Uranus is now transiting the solar position of this chart: a transit that, amongst other things, describes political unrest and uncertainty. The effect of this transit has been obvious for the last few months with political unrest often making headlines.
However, it was as transiting Venus aligned with Mars in Israel’s chart and both Zeus and the lunar south node aligned with the Ascendant of this chart that the first rockets fired from Gaza hit Israel in the dawn hours of Saturday October 7th,
Israel’s reaction is likely to be ‘Zeus-like’: terrifying and awesome. President Netanyahu has stated that he thinks the conflict could go on for years. He may not be wrong – though there is a glimmer of hope that the worst could be over by the lunar eclipse on November 4th which accents the position of the Sun in Israel’s progressed chart. This celestial event comes just hours after the transiting Sun opposes Jupiter – an aspect that has been in operation at times of truce or treaty.
And yet……
Hamas came into being on December 10th 1987 when Uranus was aligned with the Galactic Centre and Chiron in opposition. Across the world new political ideas emerged, eventually giving way to the fall of the Berlin Wall just two years later.
Hamas is a Sagittarius organisation – usually a cosmic signature for strong principles and a need to fight for what it believes to be right. However, every chart contains contrasting themes and in this chart, the position of Uranus indicates that Hamas is unafraid to act unconventionally to achieve its aims.
Actually, Uranus (the rule breaker) was out of bounds in the natal charts of both Hamas and Israel and, just as Hamas has violated international rules of engagement, so might Israel.
Using one cosmic perspective (declination – see explanation below), the Moon was in aspect to the Uranus positions in the charts of both Hamas and Israel as Hamas’ rockets were launched and the incursion began. The Moon will make similar aspect on October 17th and 30th and at roughly two weekly intervals for the next few months.
The same degree area is activated in the chart for the Lebanon which could be drawn into the conflict on these dates.
There has been much talk of Iran offering support to Hamas. It is always possible to find some link between any two charts but, in this instance, the degree area that appears most sensitive, is not involved.
That, however, is not true of the USA whose Venus, Mars and Pluto positions are activated and of Turkey whose Uranus (again a potentially willing deviant from usual convention) holds the degree area accentuated in Hamas and Israel’s charts.
If we turn next to the chart for the United Nations, Pluto occupied this declination degree when the UN began its work. (The agreement for its formation took place some months earlier).
The UN has survived many crises to date: partly perhaps since Jupiter (the wise one) and Chiron (problem-solving) are in exact conjunction in Libra (finding balance. However, this present conflict could be extra tough given two key factors:
Firstly, using a commonly used forecasting system (solar arc directions) Mars, God of War, is activating these degrees – demanding that the UN show muscle as it seeks to restore peace truce.
Secondly, the dwarf planet, Haumea, whose orbit is just over 300 years, recently crossed into Scorpio: an ingress that appears to coincide with human activity bordering on the depraved, but which might also bring out an overwhelming desire for humanitarian action.
Haumea moves super slowly, and it will be a full year before it reaches the solar degree in the UN’s chart. On-going conflicts will bring many more challenges – likely resulting in the need for a revised charter that acknowledges the emergence of new super-powers and the possibility of ‘space wars’.
These are no longer a far-fetched possibility and are likely to gather pace in 2024.
For now, the focus is very much on the terrestrial and concern that today’s actions will lead to wide-spread conflict in the Middle East.
As is the case with any country, there are multiple ‘birth dates’ that should be considered. The present hardline regime in Syria came to power on November 13th, 1970. A review of this chart brings little comfort. Transiting Uranus is highly active over the next few months.
As with Israel, this indicates political unrest and yes, the potential for Syria to be drawn into conflict.
Another important neighbour is Egypt whose present-day chart dates back to June 1953 with the Ascendant for that event exactly that of the solar eclipse on April 30th and highlighted the possibility of Egypt playing a key role in 2023.
The solar eclipse on October 14th is on the exact degree of Saturn and close to that of Neptune in this chart – further accentuating the likelihood of Egypt’s profile being much enhanced this year.
This is not a ‘war’ in any conventional sense but an outrage beyond comprehension. Perhaps it will be Egyptian rulers who play a major role in diffusing it.
© Christeen Skinner
