The stereotype that Egyptians all ride around on camels and live near the pyramids is a lot like assuming allBritish people ride around on sheep and live next to Stonehenge.
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.
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
1 comment:
Wow. Soo in depth and fascinating. Each post from you gets better and better bro.
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