March 17 was the six-month anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. In an earlier blog, I connected the beginning of OWS (September 17) to both the U.S. Sibly chart and the U.S. 2001 solar return. (1) The current issue of TMA has a detailed article by Jessica Murray, Occupy Wall Street: People over Profit. (In case you are not familiar with her wonderful work, Jessica excels at explaining social, political, and economic factors, along with astrological analysis.) (2)
A key marker of the connections between the September 17 event and the U.S. chart is the OWS Venus conjunct the Sibly Midheaven. Venus is opposite Uranus and square Pluto, which had stationed direct the day before. The foreshadowing of this event as a potent marker of the upcoming (and long-term) Uranus-Pluto square was ensured by Pluto standing still. Mars in the OWS chart was at 29º Cancer opposite the US natal and progressed Pluto (27º and 29º Capricorn).
Transiting Mars is now retrograde, squaring the U.S. Sibly Uranus at 8º Gemini and the transiting nodal axis. (The transiting south node is now conjunct the U.S. Uranus.)
This Mars retrograde cycle has been particularly brutal in the U.S. horoscope. Mars stationed retrograde on January 23 at 23º Virgo. This was square to the U.S. Mars at 22º21 Gemini, which is square to Neptune at 22º Virgo. This long transit of Mars in Virgo means that from late November through mid June, the provocative red planet makes a series of squares to the U.S. Ascendant/Descendant axis, and to natal Uranus and Mars. (This means Mars will conjunct natal Neptune three times.) (3)
Mercury stationed retrograde at 6º49’ Aries on March 12. It is now making its second conjunction to Uranus; all of these aspects are triggering the coming-to-exact first square to Pluto.
Mercury is disposited by Mars and the two are strengthened by mutual reception (i.e., Mercury is in the sign that Mars rules [Aries] and Mars is in the sign that Mercury rules [Virgo]). Mars retrograde is prone to edginess inside and out; this combination is quick to react and prone to volatile words and actions. Mars is also squaring the transiting nodal axis – use/misuse of aggression, force, or willfulness may have particularly fateful implications. (I’m sure many readers will be with me in having counseled calm to more than one friend and client in the past few days.)
On Free Speech TV, I saw a live broadcast of Michael Moore speaking at the New School in NYC on March 17th.
He is a big supporter of the OWS movement and his talk was funny, optimistic and full of specific direct action suggestions. At the end, he exhorted all to join him to walk over to Zuccotti Park, where they were met with 600 arrests and some rough treatment by the NYPD. (4)
Michael Moore has Mercury in Aries square the nodal axis. (5) His critics say he oversimplifies the issues (Mercury in Aries), but he is one (of many) public voices for the zeitgeist of the times. His natal Moon and Mars are conjunct at 4º Capricorn, recently transited by Pluto and now being squared by the mighty call of Uranus in Aries.
I was curious about the composite chart between OWS and Michael Moore: that chart has the Sun in the 10th house at 13º43 Cancer, conjunct the U.S. Sibly Sun. It’s no wonder that he feels such an affiliation with OWS and respect for its participants and aims. (6)
In what I heard as a background of Neptune in Pisces, during his Saturday talk, Moore quoted activist Naomi Klein as saying that we need to be very kind to one another now. Yes, indeed.
Onwards, into Spring..
Footnotes:
(1) Guest blogger Eric Francis also wrote on OWS here
(2) Order a sample issue, or subscribe here.
(3) We don’t have to look far for evidence of volatility in foreign affairs: on February 20 the burning of Korans at Bagram military base inflamed anti-American activity, and the tragic story of the U.S. soldier who is accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians, mostly children. (He had been to Iraq for three tours of duty before this trip to Afghanistan.)
“As thousands of angry Afghans flung rocks at NATO’s largest military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday, American officials sought to quell a widening furor over what they said was the accidental incineration by U.S. military personnel of copies of the Islamic holy book.”
Washington Post
“Afghans continued to grieve, and continued to fume, as a new day dawned on Sunday, exactly one week after a U.S. soldier — described by some who knew him as ‘happy’ and a ‘nice guy’ — allegedly went house to house, shooting dead 16 villagers.”
CNN
(4) Raw Story
(5) Here’s an earlier blog on Michael Moore
(6) See TMA, Aug./Sept. 1999 for Robin Heath’s A New Way of Forecasting: The Composite Transit Chart
4 Comments
Thanks Mary for the marking of the OWS anniversary and reminding us of how that event connectioned to the U.S. charts. You commented on how the transiting, and now retrograding Mars had been brutal in the U.S. horoscope and I thought I would share something I found in the Vernal Equinox chart taking place in just a few hours from now.
First of all, the Equinox when set in Washington DC has 12 Sagittarius 05 rising, the same degree as the U.S. natal Sibly chart’s ascendant. What I find special about this chart – in any city – is the relationship between the major 10 planets (including Sun & Moon) with each other side by side. It’s like they are in a circle holding hands.
From the top of the chart going clockwise we start with Mars in Virgo making a trine to Jupiter(conjunct Venus). Continuing clockwise, Jupiter forms a novile (40 degrees) with the Sun, who is conjunct Mercury and Uranus. The novile aspect belongs to the Trine family.
Then the Sun is semisextile Neptune (conjunct the Moon) in Pisces and they in turn are sextile to Pluto in Capricorn, due to the Moon’s wide orb allowance.
The last two aspects are between Pluto to Saturn which is a quintile of 72 degrees, and then Saturn forms a septile (51+ deg) to Mars. These aspects operate on a higher level, and their occult energies represent mystical and spiritual forces at work. They are considered harmonic and/or karmic aspects. Altogether they seem to provide a circle of support for breaking new ground and facing obstacles for the rest of the year.
There are compensating aspects providing initiative, mainly Uranus square Pluto. Venus semisquares the Sun but quintiles (harmonious) the Moon. When you add Chiron there is a 4-way grand mutable cross between the moon’s nodes and Chiron opposite Mars, indicating a crossroads choice to be made. It also puts Mars in the south bending suggesting a release or giving away of it’s energy. Since the U.S. solar return Moon is conjunct that transiting Mars, and since they both form grand trines with Jupiter and Pluto in their respective charts, perhaps Mars will release or give away his energy to “the people” (Moon) or the “99%. That would be nice.
Thanks too for Michael Moore’s chart. I see his Jupiter is conjunct the U.S. Mars. Perhaps his own Mars conjunct Moon that trines his Sun will get a big boost of energy when trans. retrograde Mars reaches 3+ Virgo and stations direct next month. It’s Grand Trine Bonanza time!
Hi barbk,
Thanks for such a very interesting and thoughtful comment..I love what you did with the equinox chart..I appreciate seeing the beautiful symmetry you saw…
Happy Spring
The equinox occurred at what I thought was such a strange time here- just after midnight, CST. Waning Pisces Moon. Yes we will have to be kind to each other I think, especially with the Mars retro you write about still in play for quite some time to come.
All these heavy retrogrades piled atop each other- Mars, Mercury…and then Venus to follow- I don’t see too much in the way of relief myself. But then I think I’m dreading the Venus station on my Mars. The Earth Grand Trine has only protected me- it’s not brought me anything of note- but I guess I should be a grateful Taurus. I wonder what it will bring Michael Moore? Some relief for his Mars/Moon?
Thanks for sharing his chart- someone I have always admired…not that he’s perfect. But his Venus in Taurus in the 10th speaks to me.
He’s been an excellent cheerleader and commentator when it comes to OWS.
Happy Spring!
We need to remember that Occupy started as a publicity stunt — sponsored by Adbusters magazine — which took on a life of its own.
It would be interesting to see how the chart of Occupy’s founder Micah M. White of Adbusters fits in, but he is not providing his birth data. Read more about Micah M. White at: ttp://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2011-12-09/article/38973
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