World News
By Jenni Dean Harte
Was this a tough start to 2003, or what? It ain’t gonna get any easier either, as we move into spring war is the big story and how could it be otherwise with that transiting Mars Pluto conjunction in argumentative Sagittarius opposing Saturn in Gemini…a dicey combination at best and no recipe for peace. At the same time, the Jupiter Neptune opposition doesn’t look too clever in the search for common sense.
At 9am EST on Feb 1st, NASA’s Columbia
Space Shuttle rushed towards earth at 12,000 mph, when
it burst into flames and disintegrated at 200,000 feet just minutes from
landing. All crew members will killed. This occurred just after the New
Moon conjunct Neptune, opposite Jupiter, with Pluto on the MC (at Cape
Canaveral) opposite Saturn. The Observer listed the birthdays of all those
on board. Rick Husband, 12 July 1957 (Amarillo, TX); David Brown, 16 April
1956 (Arlington, VA); Michael Anderson, 25 December 1959 (Plattsburgh,
NY); Laurel Clark, 10 March 1961 (Iowa); Kalpana Chawala, 21 July 1961
(Karnal, India); William McCool, 23 September 1961 (San Diego, CA). I
don’t know if the places are birthplaces or current residence. We know
space travel is dangerous and there’s no AA or RAC to call when things
go wrong. Perhaps the best thing that can be said is that the astronauts
died doing what they wanted to do…more than most of us will be remembered
for.
Peace Marches: On Saturday 15 February, just before the Full Moon in Leo (showtime!), millions of people gathered in towns and cities in more than 60 countries around the world to demonstrate against war …marching for peace. The mix of participants was unprecedented, old and young, business leaders and rock n roll stars, liberals and conservatives. Jupiter opposite Neptune being what it is—and isn’t—found representation in dissenting voices from backgrounds that were just as varied and there’s no clear line between the doves and the hawks, in fact, many of those who marched against war in the 60’s were vocal in their support of war this time.
The gatherings made history in the UK and Spain, in both countries, these were the largest political demonstrations EVER! Now that’s saying something. Planetary support in aid of democracy came from the Sun conjunct Uranus in Aquarius…making the point…people power!
450 Soldiers and Army Vehicles surprised travellers at Heathrow Airport in early-mid February. On Tuesday the 11th, as the transiting Sun trined Saturn, fully armed anti-terrorist squads surrounded the airport. By Thursday the 13th, the army presence had extended to Gatwick Airport and, perhaps incidentally, a Venezuelan national was arrested following the discovery of a live grenade in his luggage. The army was also visible in some sensitive spots in London as well as several towns under the flightpath of Heathrow. All this, because of terrorist threats made during the holiest of holy celebrations in the Islamic calendar. Two men in their 20’s were arrested on the grounds of Heathrow (they were later released). The Moon in Gemini was closing in on Saturn opposing the Mars Pluto conjunction in Sag stirring things up.
Pluto
Man Michael Jackson (chart left) Enuf’s been said on both sides of
the Atlantic (and beyond) in the past couple of weeks about Michael Jackson
since Martin Bashir’s (chart right) TV interview with him was aired.
Jackson’s already been sliced (literally), diced (by the world’s press)
and pitied (by almost everybody) but here comes Bashir, the guy who scooped
the now famous Princess Di ("there were 3 of us in the marriage") interview,
and got Jackson to talk, too. Fantastic—Jackson and Bashir share the same
7 Gemini ascendant, explaining why Jackson felt so comfortable (apparently)
about allowing Bashir to spend months in close proximity to the star.
Bashir’s Moon in Scorpio connected and dug in, trine Jackson’s Moon in
Pisces. Jackson’s a Sun Pluto man remember, and Bashir’s Pluto conjunct
Uranus are conjunct Jackson’s Pluto Sun. So while Gemini made for some
interesting conversation and viewers would also have to agree there also
appeared to be an pretty good degree of intimacy between them. The intimacy
lies on the cutting room floor…in the end, Jackson says he was betrayed
but Bashir has every 
reason
to celebrate as his career should be on a sharp upward trajectory. Bashir’s
good fortune flowed as the programme aired in England on 3 Feb with transiting
Moon and Mars setting off his T-square—Jupiter in Pisces opposite Pluto
in Virgo both square Venus in Sag. And much more of course. Michael Jackson:
29 August 1958, 23:30 CST, Gary, Indiana, 99 W 43, 32 N 38. Martin Bashir:
19 January 1963, 12:30 GMT, London, 00 W 10, 51 N 30. Data: Clifford (PS
When’s Bashir gonna interview Madonna?)
Pete Townsend Poor ole Pete…the tabloids
and broadsheetshad a field day in early January for a couple 
of
days when it was revealed he paid for access to an internet site for child
pornography. Pete says he was doing research and looking for answers about
his abused childhood (natal Mercury square Pluto) and that natal Pluto
is now exactly conjunct his progressed MC, he couldn’t help digging into
his past. I believe him but then he’s another friend from my old RnR days
and I guess I just can’t accept he has any prurient interest in that stuff.
What’s going on? Okay, here we go. Pete has Jupiter rising at 18 Virgo,
so transiting Pluto is hitting that one hard and will continue to hover
square his ascendent from the 4th for a while! His Solar Arc progressions
are troublesome too…SA Neptune exactly opposite natal Sun (9th), SA Pluto
exactly conjunct natal Neptune (1st), and SA MC conjunct SA Uranus conjunct
natal Pluto. It’s dark, it’s deep, it’s confusing and it will probably
take all year for this thing to bottom out. We hope Pete is sorted in
August when transiting Pluto goes S/Rx in exact square to natal Jupiter/Asc
while transiting Venus (his ruling planet) goes over all the stuff at
his various MC’s and Pluto. Peter Townsend: 19 May 1945, 15.00 (BDST –2),
London. Data: Clifford.
Jailed Mother, Sally Clark Goes Free Clark was convicted in Chester, England in late 1999 (wonder what she’s got in Leo—BIG eclipse in August that year) of murdering her two infants. She was finally set free by the Court of Appeals after expert witnesses finally proved her innocence—turns out there was actually solid evidence that both babies did die of Cot Death, just like she said. Thanks to her husband’s tireless efforts to introduce new evidence and overturn her conviction, she walked out of prison on 29 January after serving years of a life sentence for a crime she didn’t commit. Unfortunately, I can’t find any birth data for Clark but we do have the date she was charged and, of course, the date and time she was set free and there’s quite a story even without her natal details. On the day she was charged with murder, 12 October 1999, Chiron conjunct Pluto squared Venus, Saturn opposed Mercury and squared Uranus. Jupiter was exactly square Neptune (unhelpful for clarity in matters of law)—but it was the trine from Venus to Mars (he loves her) that kept the wheels turning despite the odds. The tightest aspects of the day were, Sun semi-square Venus (0 degrees), Jupiter square Neptune (9 minutes), and Mercury square the North Node (3 minutes). But the New Moon on 1 February (just a couple of days after she was freed), fell exactly on Uranus’s position—and opposite Jupiter’s position—of the day she was charged in October 1999. New evidence came to light and Sally was released! Clark Free: 29 January 2003, 17.21 GMT, London.
Face transplants: An article in the Observer last November reported a planned debate, November 28, 2002, at the British Association of Plastic Surgery conference, a radical new technique which has been developed to do full-face transplants! Si-fi stuff? Not any more. For the November debate, Mars in Libra was trine Uranus in Aquarius trine Saturn in Gemini. Since the technique uses a complete facial skin ‘glove’ Saturn (skin) is in charge, trine Mars (surgery) in mutual reception with Venus (cosmetic). On 24 Feb, the Evening Standard notes: "The world’s first face transplant will begin at a London Hospital by Easter!" A patient has been found for the new surgery, a 14 year old Irish girl whose face was disfigured in a car fire when she was 2, and she’s a likely candidate (whoever she is, she’s approaching her first Saturn opposition) for the first person to undergo the operation…pursuant to approval by an ethics committee. Since Easter follows the first Full Moon after the Aries ingress, the Full Moon at 27 Libra picks up the November grand trine in Air. [Think they’d let Michael Jackson have one? It’s not a bad idea—specially for the nose.]
China was hit by a monster 6.5 earthquake in the NW on 24 February at 10.03 local time. In the mundane earthquake chart Jupiter in the 4th house opposed Neptune and Mercury in Aquarius and all squared the Ascendant. Hundreds died, thousands were injured and 50,000+ are now homeless. Earthquake: 24 February 2003, 10.03 LMT (-8), Zinjian, China, 115 E 47, 28 N 34, Asc 11 Taurus.
March 2003 is a hectic month and so much activity is very demanding. Throughout the month (and longer), arguments and disagreements are rife…this isn’t a good month for negotiations or peaceful resolutions. Mars, and Mars and Chiron, aren’t giving anyone an easy ride this spring.
The March New Moon at 12 Pisces has Pluto rising in London opposing Saturn on the descendent. Looks like a day that triggers ideological disputes and the Sun and Moon have no other aspects, unless you include the semi-square to Neptune, still in opposition to Jupiter. Most unfortunate, the Mars Uranus sextile just adds fuel to the fire(s).
On the 10th of March, Uranus moves into Pisces til March 2011…except for a square to the North Node, this is a virtually unaspected Uranus! Mars at 4 Capricorn is also unaspected but for a quincunx to the Node. Hmmm, unaspected Uranus, unaspected Mars, T-square with Sun tight square to Pluto and Saturn…this could be one of those days. [This ingress isn’t helpful for Iraq, it opposes Iraq’s Pluto in the 1st and the transiting Saturn Pluto opposition falls right across Iraq’s Venus Saturn opposition—the tightest aspect in Iraq’s natal chart.]
The Full Moon on 18 March at 28 Pisces/Virgo isn’t going to bring much relief, with Sun, Moon and Mercury square Saturn. Hard decisions, emotional overload arguments, head-butting, traffic jams and difficult communications—and don’t rule out internet attacks or computer viruses. [Transiting Mars and Chiron are opposing the US Sun now].
Roll on Spring! The Sun’s Aries ingress on 20 March is conjunct Mercury in Pisces and really highlights the conflict between words and war. Fortunately, Venus is trine Saturn and sextile Pluto but she’s moving up fast to Uranus so perhaps a desperate last minute plea (not sure from who) could keep things from exploding. However, all those troops gathered in the Gulf cost plenty and the expense of keeping them prepared for war looks like being so expensive that even rational arguments for peace could fail. Mars in Capricorn is seriously ready to take care of business and war is his business. Chiron says it will be painful no matter what.
The New Moon on 1 April at 12 Aries widely squares the Mars Chiron conjunction now only 8 minutes apart at 18 Capricorn and the North Node squares Uranus. Will the aggro never end? By the Full Moon on 16 April, the Saturn Pluto opposition has just begun to separate but Mars at 27 Capricorn squares the Sun and Moon by less than ½ a degree! Oi vey.
Whoops! A couple of corrections for Jan/Feb World News. First, thanks to Hakan in Turkey for pointing out that the date for Turkey’s natal chart should have been the 29th of October. Of course it should…that was a typo that I didn’t pick up. Second blooper was in the paragraph about the February New Moon where I stated Saturn goes S/Rx on 22 February, obviously Saturn went S/DIRECT…musta been somethin I et.
Home***World News by Jenni Dean Harte***Media Watch ***Data Section by David Fisher***Columbia Space Shuttle Re-Entry by Betty Gosling***Snippets***Obituary Sydney Omarr***Submissions to Transit***AA Website