The New European Army and German Rehabilitation

On 2nd November France and the UK announced a defence treaty , involving the joint development of nuclear weapons, a commitment to always keeping one aircraft carrier at sea and, significantly, the creation of a joint expeditionary force of about 10000 soldiers. It was, of course, denied that this is the precursor to a European army. It’s a good rule of thumb that if something is officially denied, then there is probably something in it.

Economics is partly behind it. England and France both have a seat on the UN Security Council, but increasingly neither country on its own can afford to be the player on the world stage that it would wish to be. The government spending cuts taking place across the western world have brought the issue to a head.

When the UK announced its defence cuts, the US was worried. The British government responded that they didn’t need to worry. The meaning of this is that Britain has taken one more step down the road towards being a minor military player, and the US has recognised it. I think it is good for Britain’s psychological health that it stops trying to be a major player when it is not. It suggests we are finally getting over the loss of our Empire.

The EU is the richest trading bloc in the history of the world, and it is increasingly bound together politically. But that political union has been very slow in coming because the constituent countries have been culturally and linguistically separate for so long. It may never progress much further. The original 13 colonies in the US almost didn’t unify politically, so what chance has Europe? It is this lack of political union that has impeded the development of a European army.

As well as Germany’s need to keep a low profile militarily after its sorry performance in WWII.

The EU is essentially an economic entity with France and Germany at its heart. Britain, despite being as wealthy as France, has always been a bit of an outsider.

Astrologically, the UK has Sun in Capricorn square to Uranus Rising in Libra. It also has Moon in Cancer. Capricorn and Cancer are both tradition and security-minded signs that would feel very comfortable being fully part of a solid economic powerhouse, and Libra Rising could make the UK a good negotiator within that. But Uranus doesn’t want to be part of anything, and it is strong in the chart.

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You can see this contradiction within the country as well. The UK has always been very class based (Capricorn), and as the old orders fall, new ones, based on money and celebrity, take their place. As one author said last century, 2 Englishmen can’t meet without one looking down his nose at the other. And yet we rail against it. We love our monarchy while tearing it to pieces if we can. 2 out the last 3 Prime Ministers went to public schools (i.e. private), yet they are expected to feel embarrassed about it.

The UK and the EU both have Sun at 10 Capricorn (due to a 1st Jan birth date), while Germany and France have Sun at 9 and 11 degrees Libra respectively. So it will be all change over the next 2 to 3 years, as first Pluto and then Uranus hard aspect these Suns, which show the inner goals and type of leadership of the countries concerned.

The US has Sun at 13 Cancer, so its change will be a year or two later, perhaps partly as a result of the changes in Europe.

The overall theme would seem to be a big shift in the balance of power worldwide, which is happening already, as Asia rises and the US finds itself on the back foot. Europe finds itself with a choice as to whether it should unite further or stay fragmented and relatively weakened.

So we have the Franco-German economic axis, and the Anglo-French military treaty. I think the interesting one in all this is Germany. It has spent the last 65 years having to pretend it is a nice peaceful country, while quickly coming to dominate Europe economically. I don’t think you can separate a desire for economic dominance from a desire to have military power as well. You are either a dominant country or you are not. And Germany is very definitely an alpha-male type country. It has a psychological and economic security now that it did not used to have (being a relatively new country), so it is not the threat it once was. But Germany is a proud country, and there are signs that it is no longer willing to hang its head. Just as Pluto is coming up to square its Sun. Pluto is power. And just as the German Progressed Sun is about to move from nice, peaceful Libra into darker Pluto-ruled Scorpio, a sign for which disempowerment is a big issue.

The military treaty between the UK and France, as it develops, is a threat to Germany’s power within Europe. In the last couple of years, Germany has for the first time taken a combat role (in Afghanistan.) Angela Merkel, the Chancellor, recently said that multiculturalism doesn’t work. Germany is starting to assert itself again, and it will not want to be anything less than a full member of any military body within the EU. In the last 2 years also the German Progressed Mars has changed direction in Gemini. So it is a time of reconsidering its attitude towards having a proper army, and perhaps bringing out the darker, weightier side of Gemini.

I don’t think Europe has anything to fear from a resurgent Germany, because Germany also knows that it is not strong enough to stand alone. And it is more secure than it used to be.

In the next few years, Neptune will be starting to hard-aspect Mars in the charts of the EU/Treaty of Rome (6 Sag and 5 Gemini) and France (2 Gemini). Neptune can suggest a dissolution of old boundaries and a merging. At the same time, Uranus-Pluto will be hard aspecting the Mars-Ruled Desc of the UK, suggesting military (Aries) partnerships (7th House). The UK Progressed Mars moved from Leo (where it had been since 1958) into Virgo in 2004, suggesting the ability to be of service to a greater power (Virgo) instead of wanting to be a major player (Leo). The first manifestation of this change was unfortunate, in the way the UK played poodle to the US over Iraq. But the UK is good at holding its own in Europe, suggesting it will be able to share power and keep its self-respect.

England and France tend not to trust each other, which is partly why the UK tends to be an outsider in Europe. The Neptune transit to France’s Mars would already seem to be active, as it is clearly placing more trust (Neptune) in the UK. All 3 countries, the 3 major players within Europe, are starting to change. They need each other, and military developments, starting outside the formal EU power structures (but strongly influencing their direction) seem likely.

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Europe is still haunted by WWII, known as 'the' war. In England, that's what we immediately think of if Germany is mentioned. And Germany is still not a 'proper' nation with a 'proper' army. Paradoxically, I think it is precisely that which is needed for Europe and for Germany to move on.

The German Moon - the people - is in Pisces in the 9th House, showing the extreme sensitivity (Pisces) to what foreigners (9th) think of them. And the Sun in Libra - the leadership - is also very concerned with what others think. In fact, the Libra/Pisces combination in an individual is very prone to guilt and to being manipulated, while at the same time being beautifully sensitive to others.

At the same time, Germany has Jupiter Rising in Leo: it also has its pride. And Chiron is there as well - wounded pride! It is incurable, in that the terrible past cannot be undone. And the North Node in Aquarius is opposite, on the Desc. So learning to develop progressive (Aquarius) partnerships (Desc) is karmically important to Germany - which is fitting, given its past proclivity for conquest.

The Sun rules Germany's Leo Ascendant, so the empowering square from Pluto to its Sun over the next few years will empower the way Germany expresses itself. Germany cannot trust and respect itself, and other nations cannot fully trust it, unless it is allowed to assert itself and be seen to be trustworthy. This will inevitably be a theme of the next few years, and it will help Europe properly move on from its past.