NewsScope for January 29, 2001

India's Karmic Earthquake

At 8:46 am on January 26, India suffered a 7.9 earthquake, its worst in 50 years. The epicenter was near Ahmedabad, a metropolitan city of 4.5 million people near the border of Pakistan, but was felt as far away as Nepal and Bangladesh, both over 1000 miles away. Officials estimate that the death toll will eventually exceed 15,000.

The astrological indicators for this devastating earthquake were described in last week's NewsScope, with the most precise timer being the exact conjunction of the Sun and Neptune. This conjunction took place exactly opposite India's Mercury, which is the ruler of its Gemini Ascendant (August 15, 1947, 12:00 am, New Delhi). India and Pakistan share the same birth moment, but they have different Ascendants since their charts are set for their respective capitals.

We can see the earthquake reflected in the transits to India's chart. Jupiter is conjunct India's Ascendant, and the Mars-Uranus square lines up closely with India's Sun-Jupiter square.

Some geologists and ecologists have advanced the theory that earthquake activity is directly connected to underground nuclear testing, which tends to destabilize the regional sub-structure. India conducted five underground tests on May 11, 1998 during the Full Moon as the Sun was conjunct militant Mars. The Mars-Uranus square during last week's earthquake was exactly lined up with the nuke test's Sun-Mars-Moon. From this we can see the nuclear tests conducted near Pakistan, and the earthquake, also near Pakistan, as the fruit flowing out of action, which is the Hindu definition of karma.

The Mars-Saturn Duel

On Saturday, February 3, at 4:33 pm EST, Mars and Saturn will be exactly opposite each other in the fixed signs of Scorpio and Taurus. Over the coming week, this cosmic conflict promises to bring much trouble to our global village, with adversaries and sworn enemies gearing up for battle in the economic, political and military spheres of influence.

Since this Mars-Saturn dynamic happens to line up closely with the U.S. Moon (Editor's Note: The position of the Moon WolfStar refers to is from the Scorpio rising U.S. chart), Americans are feeling the pinch. A flurry of corporate layoffs headed business news last week, pointing to mounting recession, an economic condition confirmed by Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan. And in California, corporate, state and federal interests are competing over a long-term energy plan.

On the political front, Senator John McCain and George W. Bush launched competing legislative agendas. McCain's national standing allows him to establish a rival political platform as Bush's educational program must vie with McCain's campaign finance reform measures. Then, John Ashcroft's fate was postponed until this coming week, when the Mars-Saturn vibe reaches maximum potency.

Mars-Saturn combinations have a propensity toward violence. We can expect terrorist activity in traditional hotspots around the world, as well as incidents of insane brutality over the coming week. Militarily, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is moving ahead to deploy a National Missile Defense program in spite of unanimous dissension from the rest of the world's nations. On February 3, the day of the Mars-Saturn opposition, Rumsfeld flies to Germany to confront allies at a European security conference.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Heart

Bodybuilder and Hollywood mega-superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger was awarded $4,700 in a defamation suit last week. A Berlin court found a heart specialist guilty of slander for saying on a radio talk show that anabolic steroids gave Arnold heart disease.

Arnold Schwarzenegger was born a larger-than-life Leo (July 30, 1947, 4:10 am, Graz, Austria) with his Moon in hard-working, ambitious Capricorn. Astrologically, the Sun in Leo is associated with the heart, and any major stress to the Sun tends to correspond to heart problems. The strong guy's Sun squares Chiron, the planetoid known for its tendency to wound. Chiron here makes one feel under-valued and under-appreciated and pushes the individual to extraordinary lengths to compensate (George W. Bush has the same aspect).

Arnold underwent open-heart surgery on April 17, 1997, and now claims he is in excellent health. At the time of his operation, transiting Uranus opposed his Sun, reflecting the event's inherent danger and risk. However, transiting Pluto  was trine his Sun, allowing for total regeneration of his physical heart and quality of life.

Holistic health experts say that to improve the heart's condition one needs to nurture empathy and quality relationships, as well as purge destructive chemicals and hectic lifestyles. Last week when the court ruled in Arnold's favor, the transiting Sun-Neptune conjunction was exactly opposite Arnold's Sun. Arnold seems to have learned this lesson of the heart: he donated the $4,700 to Germany's Special Olympics.