The Sun enters Libra on Friday, 23 September just after 01:00 UT, signalling the Libra equinox. It also signals the coming of winter in the northern hemisphere and what is shaping up to be a very ‘interesting’ period across the Western world. Federal elections will be held in Italy two days after, where a right-wing coalition government is slated to take power. It will be a sign of the times for the EU if so. And to make things even more interesting, on the day of the equinox this year, four Ukrainian oblasts will begin voting to secede from Ukraine and become part of the Russian Federation. For more, read on…
The precise time of the Libra equinox is 01:04 UT on the 23rd. The chart is below (bigger):
The most important considerations for an ingress chart from a mundane perspective are the aspects and midpoints to the ingressing planet, in this case the Sun. The Sun makes an applying opposition to Jupiter, the latter in Aries and retrograde. The Sun also makes separating aspects with Pluto (trine) and Neptune (opposition).Thereby, the Sun forms a midpoint with Jupiter and Neptune, the main midpoint to the Sun: “A lack of self-control, irresponsibility, speculation, a squandering of physical strength. – The act of deceiving or the misfortune of being deceived.” This will have several meanings depending upon the situation, as in economic, military, social and so on. And we can see those highlighted points in all the areas indicated.
Speculation, for instance, is endemic in our present economic system. We call this ‘playing the markets’ but it is much larger than that, because the speculation involved is affecting people’s lives adversely. There is irresponsible behaviour in financial markets, irresponsible behaviour in governments (the Truss administration for instance, though we could cite many others), deceptive practices throughout our media (we are constantly fed a pack of lies by our Western media, especially about a certain Eastern European nation, for instance), and so on. We probably don’t need to belabour the point.
The effects cited in the bolded text above will increase going forward over the next weeks. The truth of events worldwide will become clearer as the progressed Moon for the figure moves off the quincunx to the ingress chart Pluto in mid-October. The Moon is in Leo in the figure conjunct Ceres, which brings in an important dynamic – the needs of the people, as well as a dramatic turning point in addressing those needs, and this goes across nations, again depending upon the needs of individual nations.
The basic issue for people at the moment is the class struggle that is taking place across the world where neoliberal economics holds sway. It’s the oligarchs (Pluto) against the people (the Moon), represented in the quincunx. And at the moment it is not clear where the struggle is headed, uncertainty being typical for a quincunx. As yet the people are quite weak, even apathetic, which brings in the factor of Ixion in this figure, square to the Sun at 0° Capricorn.
Ixion is a plutino, meaning it has an action similar to Pluto. When negatively expressed, Ixion manifests as apathy and surrender, as in “What’s the use?” When expressed to the opposite extreme, it is the vengeful madman, pushing the father-in-law into the burning coals. By ‘father-in-law’ here, we mean the oligarch class, or ‘1%’. Ixion’s transit through Capricorn will bring the public focus onto the injustices wrought through the misuse of money and power. It will act like the piece of grit in the oyster shell that produces the pearl. This quarter will seed many protests across the world.
A recent post by Chris Hedges spoke of what will evolve over time regarding the class struggle. We see it starting in the UK and the US – civil disobedience and strike actions, another word for protests. Those strikes are what the oligarchy fear the most, because it affects their bottom line and bores into their profits. And with energy prices growing ferociously across the West, especially, those strike actions will increase. It is the one weapon a united public has to roll back the widening wealth inequality we have witnessed over the last 50 years.
Unless people organize, stand up and demand change, there will be no redressing the transfer of wealth upward. It would help to keep in mind that Libra is connected with the law, sex and money, its primary mundane manifestations. But in doing so, in standing up, the fight will be hard and we can expect there will be blood. The oligarchy is not simply going to hand over their gains and say, “Oh, well.” As their wealth goes, so goes their power.
Pluto represents power, and every trick to keep the public from rising will be rolled out, first in the media and then via coercive measures. Libra also rules open enemies and conflict, as well as resolution of the same and ensuing contracts. One leads to the other, often.
This brings up the next topic, which is the just-announced partial mobilization of Russian military reserves. The character of the conflict in Ukraine has changed. Referendums start in the four oblasts under Russian control – Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – and on the ingress day. This is shown in the quintile triangle in the figure, with Moon and Jupiter as the base and Mars as the apex/midpoint planets, giving us Mars=Moon/Jup: “A healthy love-relationship, love of enterprise, striving for success. – The happy wife, the cheerful mother, the success of a woman.”
‘Woman/wife/mother’ in this case can be substituted by ‘common people’, which the Moon represents. It can also mean the return of these oblasts to Mother Russia, which they were a part of until Ukrainian independence in 1991. Before then the whole of Ukraine was a Soviet satellite state. The region has been Russian-speaking for centuries and used to be the heart of Novorossiya. There has long been a ‘love-relationship’ between Russia and what used to be Novorossiya.
Of course, the Western powers will never accept that these regions will return to Russia. It won’t matter. As far as Russia is concerned – and probably the larger part of the world’s nations will agree with them, however quietly – those four oblasts will once again be Russian territory, with all that will mean for the ongoing conflict. They will likely be accepted into the Russian Federation in October.
In the meantime, the 300,000 Russian reservists who have been called up are in training and will be deployed to these new Russian territories gradually over this quarter. At that point the conflict in Ukraine becomes closer to a war footing than the Russian SMO, as many commentators are saying. It is all too much to get into here. That will be covered more in another post.
With the preceding points in mind and to get an idea of what this quarter is likely to bring, we take a look at the last quarter (forming the foundation going forward) and how the forecast for that quarter worked out. The main forecasts from the Cancerian quarter were as follows:
- Provocations by Israel against Lebanon and Syria and by Turkey against Syria: This has happened. Israel has bombed Syrian airports in Aleppo and Damascus, and appears to be escalating as Iran and the US inch ever-closer to agreement on the JCPOA (not that it matters much any longer). Turkey has been held at bay by Russia.
- The great walk-back by Europe and Washington regarding Ukraine: This is starting, with talk (at this stage) of dropping sanction against Russia and NATO running out of weapons to send to Ukraine. Rhetoric is changing out of Washington re: Zelenskyy, too, leaving his hanging increasingly now that the counteroffensives have failed.
- A coup or forced settlement in Ukraine, resulting in neutrality and Russia’s aims being fulfilled. The war will probably last to the end of this year unless Kiev surrenders: Still ongoing. Russia is taking its time.
- Inflation, supply chain issues and sanctions blow-back to induce a recession across the West: The ‘fear index’ at Wall Street has risen in recent weeks, with increased volatility in markets and stock sell-offs.
- Sudden diplomatic and policy about-faces in Europe and North America as realities really begin to bite: Policy has not appreciably changed, but what we see are increasing and larger protests against NATO, soaring energy costs and anti-Russian policy in the EU (also here, here and here)
- Increasing tensions around Taiwan: Pelosi and America’s China syndrome
- Sudden escalations in separative regions, like Balochistan in Pakistan or in Myanmar: Armed clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Balochistan (Pakistan on the whole) experienced its worst flooding in its history.
- Firming of economic ties across Asia and strengthening strategic and economic cooperation between Russia/China/Iran and African and South American states. BRICS+ will receive renewed life. The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF, counterbalance to the WEF), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) accepting full membership of Iran, BRICS+ adding new members and closer to new international currency
- Continuing international isolation of Washington, with domestic troubles taking front and center in the US and UK as Ukraine fades from the news feed. Revolution in the UK is already building, starting at this solstice: The Enough is Enough movement in the UK is building. Strikes in the UK are gathering steam. Washington has a tendency to isolationism anyway, but more than half the world’s nations refused to sanction Russia, despite Washington’s foot-stamping. And those refusing nations are increasingly turning to the SCO, BRICS and EEF in terms of trade.
- Resolution of the grain troubles: Ukrainian grain allegedly shipped largely to Europe than to needy nations. This bears closer examination.
- Ukraine losing its last access to the coast and fracturing internally: There are movements in the Donbas, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts to join the Russian Federation. Russia has yet to move on Odesa.
- Increasing internal divisiveness in the US: Recent polling shows roughly 40% of Americans believe a civil war is likely in the next ten years.
- The changes to the world financial system set in place more permanently: Turkiye trading with Russia for oil in local currencies (implemented), BRICS new reserve currency (under implementation), barter also works, as Russia has been doing with Iran
Most of these have come to pass or are accelerating in progress. Then we add to the list above the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, probably the last British Monarch to be held in high esteem and to play such a wide role in international affairs. Now we have King Charles III. This quarter will see him getting his feet wet in his new role. The thing to watch in the UK instead is how the Truss government goes.
Aside from the UK, we also have the midterms in the US. There won’t be a forecast for which party wins, largely because it will make little difference as to policy whoever wins. Both parties are firmly in corporate and donor pockets. What is apparent, though, is financial uncertainty, caused by the directed Mars/Neptune square to the US Moon, the latter ruling the 2nd house (finances). The Moon also represents the populace and the propaganda mill will be in overdrive to support increases in defense spending and more arms to you-know-where.
Look for the NYSE to be quite unstable this quarter. It already is, but instability will be increasing. The Fed is raising rates steadily, too, and along with that inflation will continue to rise. The other side of that direction is the propaganda angle and the battle for hearts and minds in the US. This goes toward the economy and toward Russia. If we think it is bad now, watch what happens when the Russians pick up their pace militarily in Ukraine and the four oblasts mentioned previously go back to Russia.
Then there is Asia. If the meetings mentioned in the bullet points above between Asian nations is any indication they will move at breakneck speed to institute their agreements. They have little time to waste. As the Western powers see their power slipping away ever-faster they will be attempting to cause all sorts of mischief in Asia, as well as in Africa. The goal with that is to keep Asia destabilized and Africa free of Russia and China. The latter will not work, and it will be a real test for the SCO and CSTO in terms of Asian security concerns.
As to Europe, the EU will be in the last days of its first Saturn return and we will see if there is any evidence of maturity in its leadership. The first Saturn return represents ‘coming of age’ and beginning to function independently and responsibly in the world at large. The Saturn return is still in process, but the indications for the EU are a little better by the end of this quarter. Pressures from Washington and a lack of experience and vision in EU leadership have placed the whole of the EU in a peculiar position over the last months, and weakened considerably. That will slowly change from here on.
There was a particular direction that was strongly in effect on the EU Descendant at the start of the Russian SMO, the former now beginning to pass, Ura/Nep=Asc/Desc: “A person who is influenced easily, instability, hyper-sensitiveness. – The state of being depressed or sad together with others.” Need we say more about it? That will pass over the next few months, while at the same time directed Venus will slot into the conjunction with the EU Mercury, ruling the EU’s 2nd (finances), 3rd (communications and sibling relations, as well as commerce) and 11th (the desires of the nations) houses.
For the past year, really, Europe has been plagued by its unfounded fears and hatred of Russia and the overt cajoling of the United States and UK. Watch that space because we will see the sanctions regimes begin to buckle as the public begins to demand relief. Splits in the East-West European relations are already starting.
There are two eclipses this quarter – 25 October (partial solar at 2° Scorpio) and 8 November at the 16° Taurus/Scorpio axis. The latter is a total lunar eclipse. We will cover those at the appropriate time. Suffice it to say they will add spice to the quarter. The first eclipse takes place on the EU IC, highlighting the public, opposition parties and resources. At the same time Saturn will have just transited over the EU Descendant. Some telling choices about the destiny of the EU will be made around that time.
There is little more to add, really. The situation in Ukraine will build to a sort of final battle over the quarter. There are all sorts of rumors and speculation of such in the blogosphere and in Telegram channels. Deceptive rhetoric will be very high across the West this quarter as the situation in Ukraine deteriorates further, as economies slide ever-deeper into recession and as people begin to rise up in protests against austerity.
We are watching historical change taking place here, at breath-taking pace. The best assurance we have against difficulty is to cultivate our head, our hands and our health, while keeping the heart steady in care for ourselves and our neighbors, both close and internationally. The more we can unite and cooperate now – true to Libran character – the better the outcome for our future.
Featured pic from Deviantart