Iran's Secret Uranium Enrichment Plant

On Mon 21st September, Iran let on to the IAEA about its secret uranium enrichment plant. It came as a surprise to most of us, but no doubt western intelligence services had known about it for a long time, and Iran jumped before it was pushed.

America is using the incident to further its aim of building an international consensus against Iran's nuclear ambitions. The US has recently completed a square of Saturn to its natal Mars, describing the more considered, less unilateral approach it is taking to conflict. Russia is now on board the consensus as a result of the news of Iran's secret second plant. However, a week before this the US dropped its plans for a missile shield in eastern Europe, to Russia's gratification. A country does not do this without expecting something in return, and now we know what the deal was.

Iran has 2 charts. One is for the February revolution of 1979, which expresses the will of the people, and which is therefore relevant to this year’s election protests. With Angles and Moon between 2 and 7 degrees of the Cardinal signs, which Pluto will continue to transit for 2 more years, and with Uranus soon to join in, these protests seem likely to be the start of a much bigger process of change in Iran, guided by the will of the people.


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The other chart is for April 1979, when the Islamic state was formed, and being a state secret, this chart is more relevant when considering the second Uranium enrichment plant.


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Iran’s natal Mars-Mercury conjunction in 8th House Pisces is central to the issue, as it always seems to be when considering the country’s nuclear programme. As a state, Iran communicates (Mercury) about military matters (Mars) in a manner that is secretive (8th House, Mercury retrograde) and deceptive (Pisces, square to Neptune).

On Monday, this Mercury-Mars was being opposed by Sun-Saturn-Mercury Retro, and conjoined by Uranus. The previous evening at 9.30, Mercury retrograde had exactly opposed Iran’s natal Mercury Retro. So the astrological timing was perfect for surprising (Uranus) military secrets (8th House natal Mars-Mercury) to be revealed (Mercury Retro).

Mars was unaspected, but making a square to Iran’s natal Sun-Pluto opposition, suggesting that this revelation was felt as a threat (Mars) to the power (Pluto) of the leader (Sun). It was also an assertion (Mars) of that power at the same time: we are more powerful than the world thought.

Pluto at 1 Capricorn was widely making a t-square with the Sun-Saturn-Mercury to Uranus opposition, and this is also an important part of the picture, particularly as the Saturn-Pluto square is applying (gaining in strength), and will be exact in mid November. Saturn-Pluto is known as the heaviest and darkest of configurations (9/11 occurred under the opposition, lying along the US Asc/Desc axis). And things don’t get much darker than nuclear weapons, particularly in the hands of someone like Ahmadinejad. This square will last until next September, suggesting that things are likely to get worse before they get better, at least as regards conflict in the Middle East, Afghanistan etc.

Ahmadinejad, the Iranian President, has a Sun-Neptune conjunction at 0 – 5 Scorpio. The Moon passed over these 2 points on Monday, activating them; in this case, activating his leadership qualities (Sun), which are tied up with secrecy (Scorpio), deception (Neptune) and the assertion of power (Scorpio). Ahmadinejad also has Moon in Leo conjunct Pluto, emphasising his Scorpionic/Plutonic nature.


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It is interesting to bring in Jung’s analysis of Hitler, which was that you couldn’t trust him to keep a promise, because there was no-one in to keep it; he was subsumed by the German unconscious, of which he was the mouthpiece. In Hitler’s case, this has been attributed to his unaspected Neptune-Pluto conjunction taking over his personality. In Ahmadinejad’s case, Neptune and Pluto are conjoining his Sun and Moon respectively (Obama has them square respectively, an interesting resonance for these 2 opponents.) There is no doubt that Ahmadinejad is the mouthpiece for a certain aspect of the Iranian psyche, because of the primitive form in which it comes out: the denial of the Holocaust, with its appeal to tribal hatreds, and the disregard for the facts, is a sure pointer to this. The Sun and/or Moon in aspect to the outer planets doesn’t have to mean that one is taken over by these planets – in fact, it can mean one works very well with them, that we can tap their archetypal richness. But I think in Ahmadinejad’s case it means that he is influenced by them in a largely unconscious way, and this would be ongoing, unlike in the case of Hitler, where there was a marked personality change, like a medicine man (to which Jung compared him) going into a trance.

With Ahmadinejad, I think we see Sun-Neptune in Scorpio at its worst: a power seeking snake, no doubt very charming, who cannot be trusted. While it gives him the instinct and charisma to lead a people, it also sets him up for demonization by his enemies, and the degree to which this occurs will be a measure of the new America (his main opponent) under Obama.

Below are extracts from, and links to, 3 articles just published by astrologer Adrian Duncan:

Realizing the Self

When people discuss the question of fate and free will, they tend to forget just how deep in the past the root causes of our existence lie. As we deal with life day by day, and moment by moment, we are actually dealing with the consequences of actions that we took earlier, sometimes many years earlier, and sometimes, if you believe in reincarnation, many lifetimes earlier. Our actions in the current moment are completely conditioned by our view, and this view was in turn conditioned by individual perceptions and conditioning all the way back to birth. So-called free will is extremely limited under these circumstances. You are going to do what you have always done, because of the unstoppable dynamics of your personal psychology.
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Belief Systems and their Consequences

Back in the 1980’s I had a formative experience as an astrologer, which arose from the visit of a rather difficult client. She had Pisces rising and her grasp of reality and especially relationships was very tenuous - or so it seemed to me. She was convinced that she was being constantly followed by men. I was convinced that this was a product of her imagination and tried to explain the projection mechanisms of her chart ruler Neptune, which was exactly in conjunction with her Descendant. (more...)

Stories as Therapy

You have probably heard the story about the rabbi and the poor farmer who came to him for advice. With a wife and four children to feed, and just a small overcrowded hut to live in, his main problem was the lack of space. On his first visit the rabbi advised him to move his goats into the house and come back after a week. Puzzled but obedient, the poor farmer faithfully followed the advice. A week later the rabbi asked him how things were going. “Terrible” said the farmer, “the house is even more crowded”. So the rabbi suggested he move his chickens into the house, and to come back if things did not get better after a week. The following week the farmer stated that it was almost impossible for the whole family to exist in the house together with the goats and the chickens. “Don’t worry”, said the rabbi, “Next week take your cow into the house, and let me know if things have improved after a week.” After the week had elapsed, the farmer was beside himself with desperation. “Hmm…” said the rabbi, “Let’s try something new. Put the cow, chickens and goats outside the hut and come back to me after a week. The next week the rabbi asked him how things were going. “Life is wonderful”, said the poor farmer, “you won’t believe how much space we have”. (more...)

Pluto goes Direct (part 2); Facebook Friends

Pluto has actually moved forward in the last day by a minute of a degree, after being stationary for 15 days. If Pluto is affecting your chart by transit, now is the time when things can move forward. We have just had 5 months of Pluto moving backwards, and retrograde motion is a time of sorting out underlying issues – or, in the case of the outer planets, keeping out of the way and staying conscious while they sort themselves.

But that sorting period also reshapes us, so whatever the issue is, we can now move forward renewed and re-empowered. But not quite yet, because Mercury is currently retrograde, and will be so for another 10 days.

Mercury retrograde is notorious for causing practical difficulties if we begin anything new. But it is very good for sorting, for getting the conditions right to take practical steps forward. Because Mercury is an inner planet, and therefore part of our individual consciousness, it is us who must do the sorting, rather than stepping back and letting Pluto etc do its bit.

So the re-empowerment is in place, you just need to wait 10 days before taking any new practical steps. By which time Pluto will be moving a bit faster, which helps.

I noticed that Facebook is starting to make a profit. I never know quite what to do with Facebook. I joined it because people kept asking me to be their friend, but I never visit it, and when I do I'm expected to join in conversations about the chocolate cake someone has just eaten. And people I hardly know still keep asking me to be their Facebook friend. What do I do? It’s a bit impolite to ignore their request, which I often do by default. It’s rude to say No. And it’s a bit false to say Yes. So I dither.

Does anyone out there say No to people they know only vaguely? Maybe I should start a network of Facebook friends who are willing to say No? It might be more real.

Facebook, like other networking sites, is a product of Neptune in Aquarius. Illusory (Neptune) networks of friends (Aquarius). Maybe we will have to wait 14 years until Pluto enters Aquarius for this one to get more real. The Ingress Chart has Pluto in square to Nodal Venus, which is perfect for bringing reality (Pluto) to relationships (Venus).

OK, I’m being a bit one-sided here, and Neptune of course doesn’t mean just illusory. In Aquarius, it can also mean electronic soul connections. Swoon!

Pluto Changes Direction

I've just started taking creativity essence (from the Bush Flower Remedies) and bang! 2 blogs in 3 days after weeks of not much doing.

Anway, Pluto officially began to move forward 5 days ago, after about 5 months going backwards, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the numbers: he has been at 0.40 Capricorn since 4th Sept, and won’t reach 0.41 Cap until the 20th Sept. That said, his change of direction has been reflected in changes of direction in world events over the last few days.

The US has today announced it is dropping its plans to build missile shields in Poland and the Czech Republic. If this is about anything, it is about power politics, and therefore about Pluto. And Capricorn is about boundaries i.e. shields, as well as what is proportionate. And this plan always seemed disproportionate. It was officially a defence against possible missiles from Iran. The given reason for dropping the plans is that Iran’s missile capability is less advanced than thought. But everyone knew it was about the USA, led by an aggressive President, renewing its Cold War with Russia, while Russia was understandably aggrieved by the plans.

In the UK, Gordon Brown has finally agreed to spending cuts on public services of 9.3%, just short of the 10% which he had denied planning to implement, and after months of taunting the Tories for planning 10% cuts in spending. This is again Pluto in Capricorn, bringing in prudence (Capricorn) and truthfulness (Pluto) after years of easy spending under Pluto in Sagittarius.

Also in the last few days, President Obama has been calling for better regulation of the financial sector to prevent another meltdown. Pluto is wealth, Capricorn is regulation. Pluto in Cap is also the power (Pluto) of the government (Capricorn) acting on the financial sector (Capricorn). I was glad to see this call by Obama, because with the recession seeming to be over, it was looking like we were just returning to the old ways of big bonuses and little in the way of new regulations. A call for change, however, is merely that, and making it happen to an entrenched system is something else.

At the same time, I cannot see astrologically how no change is possible, because the combination of Pluto in Capricorn and the current Saturn-Uranus opposition have to mean susbstantial change to the financial establishment, particularly as this Saturn-Uranus seems very tied up with financial change (the last conjunction in the early 90s was about political change, and the 60s opposition was about social/political change). Saturn-Uranus has nearly a year to run, so this is the time when political action will need to be taken to reform the financial system. Obama presently has enough on his hands with the healthcare system, but if he wins that battle, he will be strengthened and in a position to tackle another entrenched system.

The astrology for reform of the US healthcare system is brilliant: the new dream of Jupiter-Neptune-Chiron conjunction in Aquarius, and Saturn-Uranus, with Saturn in the sign of health. It was Theodore Roosevelt, 100 years ago, who first called for reform of the healthcare system in the USA. It is an old issue which a number of Presidents have failed at. With the present astrology, it is now or never. The astrology is so good that it suggests to me that Obama will indeed get sufficient legislation passed to amount to significant reform.


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The chart for Pluto going Direct, set for Washington, reflects the healthcare and financial issues. The 2nd House of Wealth, and values around it, has Pluto right at one end, and the North Node at the other, like 2 watchdogs. Pluto conjunct the Cusp in Sag reflects the economic upturn, but the Node in Cap at the other end (and Pluto in Cap) suggest a new era of prudence and regulation being ushered in during the next 7 months of Pluto Direct.

What is most visible about this Chart, however, is the Sun on the Midheaven in Virgo, conjunct Saturn and opposite Uranus. This is about the President (Sun) using his authority (Saturn) and the institutions of government (Saturn/MC) to push through his healthcare agenda (Virgo) and break the old mould, the entrenched sytem (Uranus opposite), bringing about a more compassionate society (Uranus in Pisces).

During the time of economic freefall, and concerns about a 1930s style Depression, I did my best to hang on to the astrology of Pluto’s Ingress into Capricorn in 2008, which was very favourable: Pluto in a stellium with Venus and Jupiter, and trine to Capricorn’s ruler, Saturn. Things seemed to be getting so bad that I didn’t quite believe the Ingress Chart, but as usual the astrology has been proved right!

The Two Poles of Saturn

I was chatting last night to a friend who’d just returned from being abroad, and she said she’d done nothing yesterday, and began justifying it in terms of all the travel she'd been doing etc. I thought no, that’s the wrong way round, and it’s so typical of how people feel in our society. As long as we are busy, we feel OK about ourselves. But if we’re doing nothing in particular for any length of time, we start to feel bad about ourselves.

This is what I call the western negative Saturn, and it sits there in square to the Sun in the chart of that most western of all countries, the USA.

I think that simply being is our basic state. If there is nothing to be done, then don’t do anything, just fiddle around and be you. It is the doing that needs justifying, not the being. If you are doing something, then make sure you have a good reason for it, and that it’s not the usual stuff about feeling like you ought to be busy, that without it you wouldn’t feel like you were a real person, that you should be 'achieving' something and making a ‘contribution to society' etc.

I see this quite a lot as an astrologer: a big transit comes along and the person can’t carry on as before and it makes them feel like they are a mess because their identity is so caught up with the act of doing. I say it's good to feel like you're a directionless mess, put time aside for it every day! I recently told one friend with a very fixed chart that it might be good for her to just fall apart for a while, and she replied no, I don't need to do that, I did that 10 years ago, been there done that. For once I was almost lost for words!

Saturn describes both the being and the doing. Saturn is on the one hand the worldly taskmaster, he is our ability to give shape to our lives, to become good at what we do, to apply ourselves and produce results and to make our way in the world. That is all well and good. He acquires his negative form when we feel we are nothing without all that, that unless we are continually producing measurable results then we are nothing.

Saturn sets boundaries. These boundaries are not just the forms and obstacles through which we outwardly live. He is also the boundary around ourself, he is our solitude and what we do with it. Saturn is the place we come back to at the end of the day when we are in the armchair, or driving to and from work.

So Saturn is these 2 poles, which isn’t how we usually think of him: the outward achievement and the inner contemplation. This is why he is the Hermit card in the Mythic Tarot.

Saturn sets the boundaries around our outer and inner lives. And he adopts his negative form at either pole if we do not pay attention to the other pole. The one-sided inner Saturn never takes his place in the world, never develops his talents, never quite arrives on the planet. The one-sided outer Saturn never knows any peace, is always driven to achieve more and more, even though this ‘achievement’ probably only impresses those who are driven by the same demon.

The place I live in, Glastonbury, has a lot of the negative inner Saturn about. In many ways Glastonbury represents a continuation of the counter-culture that began in the 60s, and its shadow is the world of work and money and success. A lot of people here are suspicious of anyone with a regular professional job, or who is in any way connected to the establishment. We become that which we oppose, and one of the last people I’d trust with my money would be a fundamentalist hippy.

So both poles of Saturn are needed for life to work. We need to find our place in the world, but we also need our messy solitude. And different people will have different emphases depending on their time of life and their chart. If you’ve got Sun and Moon up near the top of the chart, your life is about what you do, and it can be quite hard to think of quiet time as anything other than what happens between bouts of activity. Knowledge of your real motivations may not be your strong suit. If you’ve got Sun and Moon underneath the Asc/Desc axis, then you’ll want to take time before you act, you’ll want to feel things through so that when you do something, it’s for the right reason, there will be depth to what you do. But you may also back off from activity because you don’t feel too confident out there in the world.