NewsScope for March 15, 2005

Since the assassination of the popular leader Rafiq Hariri on February 14, Lebanon has taken center stage in global politics. Two weeks ago a pro-democracy rally led to the resignation of pro-Syrian Prime Minister Omar Karameh and the retreat of Syria's 14,000 troops, but last week a massive, pro-Syrian rally orchestrated by Hezbollah prompted Karameh's re-appointment. President Bush is pressing Syria for more concessions.

Lebanon 's independence day on November 22, 1943 (set for noon, Beirut*) establishes its national horoscope. This chart features the Sun in the last degree of Pluto's sign Scorpio, perhaps reflecting the intense political feelings in and about this country. Three planets in Gemini (Uranus, Mars, and Saturn) show the multi-ethnic, linguistic, and religious divisions, with Uranus opposite Mercury an especially volatile axis.

At the moment, these Gemini planets are stressed by two outer planet transits. On February 14, transiting Uranus was exactly squaring Lebanon's Mercury, accurately describing the explosion (Uranus) while Hariri was en route (Mercury). By the time of last week's Hezbollah rally, transiting Uranus was exactly square natal Uranus, showing the electrified atmosphere. The other major transit is Pluto's opposition to natal Saturn, which represents a fundamental re-structuring process.

Pluto's role in Lebanon's horoscope is exceptionally powerful since it's conjunct the karmic North Node. From this placement, one can see Lebanon's unique role in the global village. Like the planet Pluto itself, Lebanon is tiny, but is placed at the crossroads of three continents, where it periodically surfaces to play a major role in international politics. Pluto's current passage assures that Lebanon will remain a global hotspot throughout 2005 and 2006.

From Armageddon to the World Soul

A reader asks: is Bush leading us toward Armageddon? Christians, Muslims and Jews all have symbolically equivalent end time scenarios, each detailing the suffering of the righteous, the return of the divine superhero, the destruction of the enemies, and then the golden age. Only the names of the good guys and the bad guys have been changed. These divisive myths originated in the Middle East some two millennia ago.

As we enter the Age of Aquarius, we can expect to see more networking and more appreciation for holistic systems approaches. Aquarius knows how everything is connected, and is therefore related to ecology, chaos theory, and astrology. We are now on the cusp between the two great ages. During this transitional phase, we can expect that oil, ruled by Neptune, will remain the critical, last gasp medium by which the old guard maintains its Piscean regime.

Those who say God has no sense of humor have missed the sublime irony that the world's largest oil reserves are held by Islamic countries, while the world's largest oil consumers are mostly Christian nations. It's as if the World Soul**, that unified, higher consciousness of which Muslims, Christians, and Jews are all a part, is forcing the regional differences to be worked out as the international community becomes more like a global village.

Whether the differences can be worked out through military means or a negotiated co-existence remains to be seen. From an astrological perspective, one might say that those who cling to the Pisces myth of Armageddon are assisting in its manifestation, while those who adopt the Aquarian concept of the World Soul are helping to build a healthy future.

Gary Kasparov, Political Strategist

The world's number one ranked chess player since 1984, Gary Kasparov, announced that he is leaving the game to take up politics. Kasparov won his final tournament last Thursday, and will now participate in Committee 2008, a Russian political party designed to unseat President Putin. The master tactician and strategist aims to pool fractured opposition groups into a unified party.

Gary Kasparov was born under the warrior sign of Aries (April 13, 1963; 11:45 pm; Baku, Russia), a placement which is strongly fortified with trines to his Sagittarius Moon and Ascendant. While his Sun in the Fourth House gives him nationalistic feelings about his birth place, the Sagittarius influences increase his love of travel, and for experiencing international or cosmopolitan dynamics.

Kasparov's Sun is favorably sextile Saturn, giving him powers of endurance and maturity. Then, his Sun forms a hard aspect to Pluto in analytical Virgo, a combination bestowing intense focus on the task at hand. The Sun's square to the asteroid Pallas Athena completes the major aspects. Pallas has a variety of talents, among them her role as a political strategist and the Goddess of War.

Kasparov's Pallas happens to be conjunct the first-magnitude star Pollux, the immortal boxer from Greek mythology, which again emphasizes Kasparov's fighting skills. Last week when he made his announcement to quit chess, transiting Saturn was precisely conjunct his Pallas. Becoming number one is a natural expression of the Aries personality, and one would expect nothing less from him in the political realm.

*Lebanon's independence occurred late at night, according to the New York Times article of November 23, 1943. If any NewsScope readers have a more precise timing of this event, please email me. The noon time given here is given in the absence of better data.

Note that Lebanon's PL-NN placement exactly squares the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant, and is conjunct the U.S.'s own North Node.

**For more on the World Soul, see astrologer Charles Harvey's book Anima Mundi.

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