Egypt´s horoscope in 2011

So I finally managed to make a post in Spanish, hopefully the first of many more for anybody who might be interested in astrological updates in Spanish. I started the Spanish version thinking I would tackle an "easier" subject (that I could translate more easily), but in so doing I realized that there's actually a really important event going on in Egypt's natal chart. While the Aries ingress chart and mundane interpretation is more like a "counsel of the stars" for any given location, on an impersonal level, the natal chart is more personal and shows us what's being activated in Egypt in light of being an individual, like a person. Interest and development in our personal identity study has certainly grown since the middle ages (when "group" astrology was more common), and taking a look at the identity of Egypt can help us see what's happening.

The inner ring of the chart on the left is Egypt's birth chart, while the outer ring is the current position of the planets. I'm not quite good enough at interpreting aspects in the birth charts of countries, but we can't ignore one very important aspect. Saturn, in its current position, has returned to the same place it was at the birth of Egypt- this is what we call the Saturn Return.

Saturn is associated with responsibility, pretty much across the board, countries included. The Saturn return is a time of crisis in identity and responsibility that occurs between the ages of 28 and 30. Saturn is a hardcore party-pooper, and provides difficult lessons wherever it goes over the 29 years it spends going around the zodiac. When it gets back to where it was, it means that this cycle of hard lessons has come to a close, and there is a crisis of meaning: What am I going to do with the hard lessons I've learned? What is the significance of my responsibility? How can I build the responsibility and challenges I've faced into a new cycle in life?
Now Egypt is facing this challenge. What does it signify? Well, for a hint we can look to what happened exactly 29 years ago. Any guesses? That's right, Hosni Mubarak took power (October of 1981). Now he has resigned, during the difficult process where Egypt turns the difficult lessons it has learned into a new beginning. We can also look to the position of Saturn to see where this crisis is focused. Saturn is in the 6th house of Egypt's birth chart, very close to the far right angle or descendant. The 6th house is associated with service and work, and the descendant as the 3rd angle as we go around the chart wheel is associated with others, relationships, friends and enemies at the same time. In addition, Saturn is in Libra (whose energy is associated with the descendant angle anyway) and is a sign of cooperation, awareness of others and relationships. As the crisis in Egypt continues over the following months and years, you can be sure that the focus of these questions and considerations will be people: citizens of Egypt and foreign relations alike.

While watching the developments in Egypt, instead of asking "What's changing?" consider asking "Who's changing, or what's changing people?" The difficulties in this process will be all about people. It's a difficult process, but necessary. There are many changes on the horizon...

I'd like to stimulate some discussion: what are your thoughts and reactions to this article or the events in general? I'm committed to making an effort to respond more to any responses and participate in discussion. Big topics folks! Pour yourself a brew and let's discuss...

El horóscopo de Egipto en 2011

Aunque dije que traduciría mi último artículo, sobre Egipto, me dio cuenta que eso artículo fuera demasiado largo para traducir sin perder la razón. Por eso, decidí escribir un artículo de nuevo sobre el mismo tópico, usando una sistema diferente para analizar los eventos allá. Entonces, hoy vamos a considerar la carta natal de Egipto. Esa forma de análisis enfoca en la identidad del país de Egipto como si fuera un individuo con sus propias características, las cuales son afectados por el estado de las estrellas ahora. La astrología mundano aparece más como el ´consejo de las estrellas´ tras de una ubicación específica. La astrología mundano es efectiva, claro, pero también es impersonal. En el desarrollo de nuestro interés en sí mismo, es importante considerar el estado de la identidad de Egipto también.

Al lado es la carta natal de Egipto (el círculo interior) con la carta de tránsito (el círculo exterior). Porque ya no soy experto con la análisis de los horóscopos del países, voy a enfocar en unos profundos aspectos cuales nos señalan que Egipto es en crisis de identidad.

El planeta de Saturno tiene que ver con la responsabilidad. Es un planeta difícil muchas veces, porque la responsabilidad nunca es lo más fácil. En este caso, podemos decir con gran certeza que Egipto es en una crisis de responsabilidad porque Saturno en el cielo ahora está en casi la misma posición de el nacimiento de Egipto, un evento que pasa en los horóscopos de todo el mundo entre 28 y 30 años de edad- la vuelta de Saturno. A menudo, esto tiempo es el fin de 29 años de desarrollo y practico con la responsabilidad, y las lecciones de la vida que porta Saturno por el círculo completo del horóscopo son completas. En países y individuos también, este tiempo proviene preguntas importantes: ¿Para qué tengo responsabilidad y porque? ¿Que significa mi vida y las lecciones de los 29 años pasados? ¿Cómo podría usar mi experiencia para dar a luz algo nuevo con mi vida? Esto llamamos en Inglés ´the midlife crisis´. ¿Qué es la importancia de esto en Egipto?

Consideramos un hecho interesante: ¿Qué pasó hace 29 años exactamente? Hosni Mubarak empecé su presidencia. Saturno, en el horóscopo de Egipto, está ubicado en la sexta ´casa´, muy cerca de la derecha de la carta, que llama el ´descendiente´. Esto, el tercero ángulo de la carta, tiene que ver con el servicio a otras personas, y las relaciones con amigos y enemigos a la vez. El sentido de responsabilidad en Egipto, entonces, tiene que ver con sus relaciones con otras países, y con sus propias ciudadanos. Además, Saturno es en el signo Libra, que tiene que ver con relaciones con otras también. Los dificultades con Egipto son sociales. Con la vuelta de Saturno, los cambios y preguntas de responsabilidad social es lo más importante. Durante los siguientes meses y años, mira los eventos de Egipto no enfocando en ´que está cambiando´, sino en ´quien está cambiando, o quien está cambiado y por qué´. La vuelta de Saturno es un proceso difícil, pero necesario. Hay muchos cambios en el horizonte...

Quiero estimular conversación y comentarios... ¿qué piensan uds.? Voy a hacer un esfuerzo a responder rápidamente y participar en sus reacciones.

Mundane Astrology- Egypt in 2011

The stereotype that Egyptians all ride around on camels and live near the pyramids is a lot like assuming all
British people ride around on sheep and live next to Stonehenge.

It's been a little while since my last post. I've done a lot of work on beer study, and I'll have a post soon about a couple new forthcoming beers. In the meantime, I'm trying something new- Old Mundane Astrology. In two different languages. I'm introducing a Spanish version of some of my posts, though they may be a little rough. If you're a Spanish speaker, feel free to correct me or comment in Spanish.

Egypt is in pretty bad shape. Thousands upon thousands of demonstrators have spent the past couple of weeks trying to oust president/dictator Mubarak. The government has since responded by paying people to fight against the protesters as "Pro-Mubarak Supporters." The economy and infrastructure of the country has ground almost to a halt, including one of their economic lifelines- tourism. A shockingly lengthy span of media attention has continued to cover the tireless protests. But the question on everyone's mind is: What will become of Egypt?

There's the possibility that Mubarak, despite his concessions to the protesters (including eliminating parts of the governing party and promising to not run in the next election) will wear down the protesters and not fulfill his promises. There's the possibility that the protesters will successfully oust Mubarak, though the problem of filling the government void is there. There's the possibility that Mubarak will be ousted, and despite the unanimous and democratic hopes of the protesters, a radical Islamist regime will take power, which could upset allied countries like Israel and the U.S. (as well as the Coptic Christian minority in Egypt). What's the outcome? We can get clues from examining the Aries Ingress Chart for Cairo, Egypt for this March. This is an old technique in Mundane Astrology (the astrology of politics, nations and world events) that basically paints the picture of the astrological "new year" (0 degrees of Aries, the Spring Equinox) for the location of the chart, in this case Egypt's capitol.

This is a bit of a rough copy, but you can see (after ample squinting?) at the top of the chart that the Moon and Saturn are conjunct the Midheaven, all in Libra. On the bottom of the chart, exactly opposing, are Mercury and Jupiter conjunct. Nearby are the Sun and Uranus, with Mars slightly behind. Pluto is on the very left, conjunct the Ascendant. A big, fat T-Square folks. My understanding of the focus of traditional Mundane Astrology is that it's based more on the houses of the chart, as well as the placement of the planets and their rulers (instead of the more popular evaluation of Natal Astrology using the attributes of different zodiac signs and their meaning in different houses). Here are the big players, a little condensed:

The Lights
Sun: the ruler
Moon: the populace
The Inner Planets
Mars: military, revolutions, violence. Venus: aesthetics, finances, economy. Mercury: communications, media.
The Outer Planets
Jupiter: Legal proceedings and ceremony. Saturn: traditions, elderly, responsibilities. Uranus: inventions, rebellions. Neptune: Fraud, charities, oil industry. Pluto: the "underworld" (scandal, mines, atomic power).

The Angles of the chart (Ascendant on left, IC, Descendant and Midheaven) represent the people and body of the country (1st); the history, weather and opposing government (4th); foreign affairs and politics (7th); and the ruling party and government or royalty (10th).

The placement of these planets can suggest the orientation of different groups or aspects of Egyptian society as this revolution unfolds. We see Saturn and the Moon at the top of the chart- an indication perhaps of the people, coupled with the traditions and support of the elderly (perhaps more quietly, being retrograde. Indeed, many of the protesters are young people, and the older population has continued to support the cause from their homes). Opposing this, however, is both the media and legal system. (Mercury and Jupiter, at the bottom of the chart). This could indicate the difficulty in balancing the possible new position of the people of Egypt with the everyday dealings of legality and communication. Not far off is the Sun (or ruler...), conjunct Uranus. What's he doing at the bottom of the chart...? This chart bears a shocking resemblance to a King of the Hill game, and it looks like the "ruler" has been knocked off, and the "people" have ascended to the position of power at the top.

Squaring these is Pluto- right on the "body" of Egypt (The Ascendant, 1st house cusp). What could be churning under the surface of Egypt, that the media and even the population of Egypt themselves don't know about? At least, not yet. Pluto's same themes of sudden, cathartic though difficult revelations applies in the world of Mundane Astrology as well-although being in the most physical part of the chart (the 1st house represents your physical body and presentation in Natal astrology, after all) Pluto's power may take a physical or environmental form.

For extra fun, let's take a look at Rulerships. Each planet is in a particular sign, and that sign in turn is ruled by a planet. If we take a look at that ruling planet, we can see a little deeper into what's going on with the planets we started with.

The guys at the top, Saturn and the Moon, are in Libra. Libra is ruled by Venus (money). Venus, in this chart, is in the 2nd house (economy). This indicates a double-dose of financial issues associated with those at the top of the chart, the people and their responsibilities.

Looking at the bottom of the chart, where Jupiter and Mercury are hanging out, we see that they are ruled by Aries. The Sun (ruler) is ruled by Aries, too. Aries is ruled by Mars (military). Mars, in turn, is hanging out in the 3rd house. Communication is the battlefield upon which so much of this struggle is being played. While this is obvious in the news, its importance is only encouraged more by Mars' position here. There is a strong military element to this axis of struggle that may continue to express itself more through media, communication, etc. than physical violence. Furthermore, this house "axis" of the 3rd and 9th deals with foreign countries as well. The 9th represents long-distance relationships (perhaps with countries such as the United States and Europe), while the 3rd represents relationships with neighbors (Israel?). It's not entirely clear who will support whom, or for what reasons. The concentration of planets in these two houses, however, clearly indicates the importance of foreign relations in this revolutionary process.

The mysterious stick in the gears, for me, is our last rulership: Pluto. Pluto is ruled by Capricorn, and Capricorn is ruled by Saturn (responsibility and tradition). Saturn, therefore, may somehow be linked (or even precipitate in some way?) whatever "underworld" energy this Pluto may have. Pluto, as the third leg of this T-Square orientation, is not completely clear yet. But then again, that's usually the point. Pluto doesn't play by the rules. It's secrets will get churned up soon, however, I'm sure.

This is nebulous, to be sure. Part of the challenge of Mundane Astrology is the great level of uncertainty. But following the big, guiding general themes can help get a better picture of the events as they unfold, and perhaps provide enough information to take a stab a what the future may hold. Here's my interpretation of what this chart means for the coming months:

The people of Egypt, through their personal strength and the support of several generations of citizens, keeps pressure on Mubarak, forcing him to leave power. There is a great challenge to maintain a balance of power in the country, even though the people are successful. Financial concerns dominate the responsibilities of this governmental shift (which makes sense after such a devastating time of an economy and tourist industry on-hold). Media, transportation and international attention also dominate the focus of the transitioning government. Different countries support different agendas for Egypt's future. International attention strongly influences the country's actions. Two possible outcomes, both linked to Pluto's mysterious placement on the Ascendant:

1. International participation helps to establish a new governmental system.
2. A currently unclear but growing underground interest in an Islamic republic develops in the void of the cooperative and stalwart protests that unfortunately have left massive economic problems in their wake. People's control of the government turns to a source of conservative tradition, with international ties and the potential to help the economy. In the sudden eruptions of change for which Pluto is famous, Egypt out of necessity goes from a state of transition to a conservative Islamic republic, transforming the entire body and people of the country.

A part of me is leaning towards the second option. Regardless of the outcome, the protests in Egypt have shown the world how people can gather together to resist a corrupt government, and organize themselves well enough to maintain that resistance- as well as the fact that social media has become an integral part of our changing world. Politics are ever changing, and Egypt may have tough times ahead, but we can all be inspired by these events. From the BBC, discussing the Government's scare tactics during the protests:

The fear recreated local communities in a city where people had adopted the Western urban trait of not having met the family living next door.

Walking around the city during curfew now means being stopped every 50 paces at vigilante checkpoints staffed by educated middle-class people, warming themselves from the winter chill by chopping up and burning the local police post.

One weary housewife, who was spending her nights in the street outside her home armed with her best kitchen carving knife, told me: "Someone, who if you saw them in the street you wouldn't know, you are now trusting to secure your family while you are protesting. This is amazing."

Links and sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12372421 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12394941 http://www.astrologyedmonton.com/article-ingresscharts.htm http://www.skyscript.co.uk/ingresses.html http://www.realitysandwich.com/what_egyptian_revolution_means