{"id":2395,"date":"2023-02-28T06:56:43","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T07:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malvinartley.com\/blog.malvinartley.com\/?p=2395"},"modified":"2023-03-02T09:41:05","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T10:41:05","slug":"the-2023-turkiye-syria-earthquake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malvinartley.com\/blog.malvinartley.com\/2023\/02\/28\/the-2023-turkiye-syria-earthquake\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2023 T\u00fcrkiye-Syria earthquake"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the 6th<\/sup> of February 2023 at 04:17 TRT a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern T\u00fcrkiye and north-western Syria. As of this writing the quake has killed over 50,000 people, with over 120,000 injured, the great majority of them in T\u0171rkiye. There have been over 2100 aftershocks, with over 230 of those registering M4.0 or higher. Regional support was swift to Syria, with Russian troops still stationed in Syria aiding in rescue and relief efforts, not so much in T\u0171rkiye. More than 80 countries have offered material aid and assistance. Absent from those 80 were Western nations until very recently. The chart is rather interesting for several reasons. The quake is already having geopolitical effects, too. For more, read on\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Regarding the actual quake, Wikipedia has the following entry<\/a><\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n

“Mainshock<\/strong>: The earthquake struck at 01:17 AM UTC. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) and Global Centroid Moment Tensor (GCMT) measured it at moment magnitude Mww\u202f7.8 and Mw\u202f 7.8, respectively. GEOSCOPE reported a magnitude of Mw 8.0. It had an epicenter 34 km (21 mi) west of Gaziantep in Gaziantep Province, which is near the border with Syria. USGS estimated the earthquake’s epicentre at 37\u00b09\u203257.6\u2033N 37\u00b01\u203255.2\u2033E (37.173, 37.032) at a depth of 17.9 km (11 mi). The shock had a focal mechanism corresponding to shallow strike-slip faulting. Rupture occurred on either a northeast\u2013southwest striking and northeast dipping or northeast\u2013southwest striking and northwest dipping fault. It is one of the strongest ever recorded in Turkey\u2026”<\/span><\/p>\n

The map of the quake is below:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

We see the main rift of the quake extended quite far into T\u0171rkiye, where the greatest damage and loss of life occurred. In Syria the Idlib governate was the worst hit, as well as Aleppo. Idlib is where the jihadis are located in Syria, the most militant anti-government faction in that nation. That will be important later in this piece. The chart for the event is below (bigger<\/a><\/span>):<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

The chart clearly shows a catastrophic event, with a rather outstanding feature: The comet C\/2022 E3 (ZTF) is at the Descendant of the chart and square to Neptune. At the time of the quake the comet was very near its conjunction with the star Capella in the constellation of Auriga, the Charioteer. The projected astrological longitude was at 22\u00b0 Gemini, rounded off. Comets often feature in natural disasters, as described in a recent post here<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Neptune is in a partile square, to 4\u2019 of arc to the Horizon axis, in Pisces in the 3rd<\/sup> house communications, media, esp. social media). The 3rd<\/sup> house placement of Neptune in Pisces made this event ripe for conspiracies of all types \u2013 that it was the result of an attack by the US (who else?), the result of HAARP being used as a weapon<\/a><\/span>, that it was caused by a projectile launched from a US satellite<\/a><\/span> (a \u2018Rod from God<\/a><\/span>\u2019 weapon), that it was a message from the US to Erdogan warning him away<\/a><\/span> from increasing cooperation with Russia, the latter citing:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026the coincidence of nine countries, including the United, States, the United Kingdom and Germany, temporarily closing their consulates in Istanbul and issuing security alerts warning about the possibility of a terrorist attack\u00a0several days before the earthquake struck, and the arrival of American destroyer the USS Nitze in Istanbul.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Neptune in the 3rd<\/sup> house points to problems with transport, in this case in roads (3rd<\/sup> house) being destroyed and aid vehicles (Neptune) being unable to reach areas in T\u0171rkiye, the nation hardest hit by the quake. That definitely negatively affected public perceptions (Ascendant) and it will bring up legal matters (7th<\/sup> house) later. We\u2019ll have more about all that here.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is worth noting those three nations mentioned by name in the quote are all complicit in the ongoing war in Ukraine and they have been pressuring T\u0171rkiye to denounce Russia and send aid to Ukraine, which T\u0171rkiye has so far resisted doing. And we have seen terrorist attacks recently in T\u0171rkiye. On top of that, NATO countries have only recently begun to send aid to Turkey and temporarily lift sanctions on Syria.<\/span><\/p>\n

Putting conspiracies aside, earthquakes are ruled by Uranus and Pluto and are classed as a \u2018force majeur\u2019, or \u2018act of God\u2019, depending on one\u2019s inclinations. Knowing midpoints as we do now, one would look for the positions of Uranus and Pluto and especially the Uranus\/Pluto midpoint.<\/span><\/p>\n

Uranus is in Taurus, an earth sign, square the Sun in Aquarius as well as the Moon in in Leo, thus sitting at the apex of a t-square, as the quake happened just a few hours after the full moon. This was discussed in the East Palestine post. The full moon was quite a powerful indicator for change, sudden events and even disasters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pluto is in Capricorn, with both Pluto and Capricorn ruling deep places and things underground. Putting Uranus and Pluto together in the midpoint we find that midpoint at the 22nd<\/sup> degree of mutable signs by 90\u00b0 modulus, thus with the comet at the midpoint. The comet was also discussed in the East Palestine post. The comet itself was on the Descendant of the event chart.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 4th<\/sup> house (homes and infrastructure) is ruled by Aries and Mars and we find Chiron there within a degree of the 4th<\/sup> house in the 3rd<\/sup>, semisquared by Saturn. In T\u0171rkiye, at least 13.5 million people and 4 million buildings have been affected. About 345,000 apartments were devastated (from Wikipedia again). 164,000 buildings were either destroyed or severely damaged.<\/span><\/p>\n

As stated above, there are domestic and geopolitical implications with this quake. We begin our look at that with T\u0171rkiye. The chart for T\u0171rkiye with transits and directions is below (bigger<\/a><\/span>):<\/span><\/p>\n

\"C:\\Users\\tian_\\Pictures\\Site<\/span><\/p>\n

T\u0171rkiye was the hardest-hit by the quake. Particularly struck was the leadership, shown by the square by direction of Saturn to the Turkish Sun. Erdogan quickly came under criticism for building practices, where zoning amnesties had been grated for earthquake zones. Many questions arose about the enforcement of building standards in the earthquake zones, as many new buildings collapsed from the quake<\/a><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a particular midpoint associated with changes of residence and damage to buildings: Uranus=Jupiter\/Saturn: \u201c\u2026sudden change in circumstance<\/strong>, making great efforts<\/strong>, a change of residence<\/strong>, a change of occupation. – Damage to a building<\/strong>, a stoppage of motors, the breakdown of a car.\u201d On the day of the quake directed Uranus completed that midpoint. Transiting Neptune was triggering that midpoint-by-direction that day, too, worth reading in full: Neptune=Jupiter\/Saturn:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPessimism, a feeling of abandonment<\/strong>, the tendency to begrudge other people’s good fortune. – An intolerable loneliness, hard work without success, losses<\/strong>. – Damage to a building through dampness, water, gas or force majeure (war).<\/strong>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Reading this in connection with suspicions raised by some Turkish officials regarding the US cited above, was this quake an act of war, as the Neptune transit would seem to suggest, one of a covert nature? Transiting Mars and directed Uranus were in the 12th<\/sup> house of covert action and \u2018secret enemies of the state\u2019 after all. People do love a good conspiracy or \u2018whodunnit\u2019, but there are other explanations for this quake in nature itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

The region hit by this quake is in a very active earthquake zone, where four tectonic plates meet. Very deadly quakes have taken place in that region in the past, and this one is not the deadliest by a longshot<\/span>.<\/a> Wikipedia has the following description of the area, from the page just linked:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTurkey is a seismically active area within the complex zone of collision between the Eurasian Plate and both the African and Arabian Plates. Much of the country lies on the Anatolian Plate, a small plate bounded by two major strike-slip fault zones, the North Anatolian Fault and East Anatolian Fault. The western part of the country is also affected by the zone of extensional tectonics in the Aegean Sea caused by the southward migration of the Hellenic arc. The easternmost part of Turkey lies on the western end of the Zagros fold and thrust belt, which is dominated by thrust tectonics.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The fact the quake has taken place at a time of very high tensions between T\u0171rkiye, the West and T\u0171rkiye\u2019s neighbors, it is easy to jump to the conclusion the US must<\/em> have been involved, even causing the quake. But circumstantial evidence is not proof. Governments also often advize people to leave a nation when they know violent events are about to take place, like we saw just before the current conflict in Ukraine. Perhaps some provocations were being prepared in T\u0171rkiye around the time of the quake. All the talk of US involvement in the quake is speculation, as well as distraction from the poor response of the Turkish government to the quake and the fact their own policies have contributed to the disaster, covered presently.<\/span><\/p>\n

Seismologists usually know when a large quake is about to hit because of increased seismic activity I the area. Quakes are often also preceded and accompanied by luminous discharges along fault lines<\/a><\/span>, caused by shifts and pressures in the crystalline structures in the rock and soil, probably a combination of piezoelectric and electrostatic effects<\/a><\/span> along with pyroelectric effects<\/a>.<\/span> Those discharges have been recorded as long as 300 years ago, long before HAARP transmitters were even possible. And when atmospheric conditions are conducive, those discharges can also produce lightning<\/a><\/span>. So, we set aside the US from the cause of the tragedy, though they have seized on the opportunities presented by it for political ends. Regarding the political aspect we have the following, laid out in a recent article<\/a><\/span> (HERE if it won\u2019t open<\/a><\/span>):<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to put pressure on the leadership of the republic, beneficial to the United States and NATO, after the catastrophic earthquake, Western emissaries started coming to Turkey to arrange undisguised bargaining and pressure on the possibility of providing Ankara with American fighters and material assistance in exchange for the admission of Finland and Sweden to NATO, as well as for refusing to cooperate with Russia. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg\u2026was the first in the caravan of these Washington emissaries\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The pressure will continue to mount, and we already see lawsuits filed by US-backed lawyers. From the same article:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so, apparently following a tip from Washington, a group of lawyers filed a lawsuit against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan and senior government officials for their \u201cirresponsibility\u201d regarding the February 6 earthquakes in the southeast of the country. This statement consists of 11 charges of separate crimes, including \u201cpremeditated murder and wounding of more than one person,\u201d or \u201cintentional negligence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We can expect such pressure to increase right up until the election. And if Erdogan manages to survive as leader, for internal pressures and terrorist attacks in the nation to increase. T\u0171rkiye, a NATO key member, is holding Sweden and Finland off from NATO membership and Erdogan is seen as an enemy of Washington at the moment. The Turks are correct to suspect US involvement around the quake, but not for causing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Emergency responders in the first days after the quake were delayed due to centralization of emergency services (government policies), along with the very late deployment of the military resources<\/a><\/span>. They were not immediately mobilized, and then even in only modest amounts. Twitter access was blocked<\/a><\/span>, citing disinformation being shared on the medium, but it was later restored. These points go back to the Neptune placement in the 3rd<\/sup> house of the event chart, square the Horizon axis.<\/span><\/p>\n

A few more points to mention in the chart for T\u0171rkiye begin with the transiting Pluto semisquare natal Uranus, a \u2018disaster transit\u2019. Transiting Ceres was opposite transiting Jupiter in the 4th<\/sup> and 10th<\/sup> houses, respectively, both of them in hard aspect to natal Mars. Ceres is associated with the underground, too, from the Pluto mythology and in this case represents more of the \u2018wailing at the crossroads\u2019 aspect of the Cerean myth.<\/span><\/p>\n

With transiting Ceres in the 4th<\/sup> house conjunct Mars there, the opposition parties (4th<\/sup> house) in Turkish government have seized on the inadequacies of the government\u2019s response to the disaster. Erdogan tried to get the elections scheduled for May of this year moved back, but failed to garner the 400 votes<\/a><\/span> (translate from Turkish) needed for the constitutional amendment that would allow it. Elections will go ahead on May 14th<\/sup>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Directed Mars was square natal Chiron from the 7th<\/sup> house, showing the immense pain of the event and also showing the probability of quite a number of lawsuits to follow on from this event. That is already happening. This quake could well spell the end of Erdogan\u2019s tenure as leader, but that is beyond our scope here. That said, a coup or change of leadership is not shown in the Turkish chart for the next year or so. There is more we could say here, but we move on now to Syria.<\/span><\/p>\n

The effect of the event on Syria is shown in the 1941 chart for that nation, below (bigger<\/a><\/span>):<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

I have found this chart to be a good working chart for Syria. The reaction of the West to the quake in Syria was a study in the West\u2019s hypocrisy<\/a><\/span> regarding its vaunted humanitarian policies. Western nations rushed to send aid to T\u0171rkiye (a NATO member), while Syria was ignored and sanctions were only lifted four days after the event and only for 180 days. The West has no problem sending over $100 billion to Ukraine<\/a><\/span>, yet cannot commit to even lifting sanctions, except when shamed into it.<\/span><\/p>\n

An article in the Guardian<\/span><\/a> was full of obfuscation as to the reasons why the sanctions being lifted were slow, with the usual talk of the Assad \u2018regime\u2019, but with another point completely left out of the picture \u2013 why the aid needed to go to the north-western part of Syria instead of through Damascus. The former is where Idlib is, and where the most militant opposition to Assad is based, protected by the Turks. If the West was really serious about sending aid to the quake victims they would have no problem sending the aid to Damascus.<\/span><\/p>\n

It took them five days, but the first European nation to send earthquake relief to Syria was Italy<\/a><\/span>, who sent it via Lebanon. The Arab states were far more humanitarian<\/a><\/span>. Algeria, Iran and Russia were immediately on the scene with rescue teams. Iraq, Lebanon, the UAE and Egypt sent medical supplies. Venezuela and Palestine sent food. Tunisia, Serbia and China sent humanitarian aid.<\/span><\/p>\n

The domestic response to the quake in Syria was immediate: The army was mobilized. The Assads were out every day visiting the sites and hospitals. The rescue teams started work immediately. And something else began to happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

The MC\/IC axis was directed to a square with Syria\u2019s Sun at the time of the quake, signifying a rallying of the Syrian nation, along with the difficulty of the situation. It also shows an opening toward better relations. Transiting Saturn was within a couple of degrees from the upper square to its natal place, which sees Syria moving toward a revision of its national aims and purposes. That transit also activates the natal Saturn\/Uranus conjunction, the conjunction indicating Syria\u2019s toughness, resilience and resolve.<\/span><\/p>\n

We note at this point the Arab states are increasingly making moves for rapprochement with Syria<\/a><\/span>. The quake has served as a catalyst<\/a><\/span>. Washington is not particularly happy about the emerging normalization<\/a><\/span> between Syria and some nations who were bitter enemies of Syria (a.k.a. American vassals) during Syria\u2019s war. The US House just passed a resolution<\/a><\/span> mourning the deaths of people in the quake, but at the same time condemning the ‘Assad regime’ from obstructing aid and using it to push normalization with Arab neighbors. Actually it was the opposition forces in Idlib who obstructed the aid<\/a><\/span> coming there from Damascus. <\/span><\/p>\n

There have been visits to Damascus by high-level officials and delegations<\/a><\/span> from several of the Arab states in response to the earthquake, including Egypt. The UAE and Jordan had restored relations with Damascus in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Middle East\/West Asia is reorganizing itself, and without the United States\u2019 approval in many cases. Egypt\u2019s economy is collapsing<\/a><\/span>, which will bring in instability there. Israel is fast-approaching a civil war<\/a><\/span> with the Palestinians and inter-party fighting in the Knesset. Lebanon teeters on the edge of collapse<\/a><\/span>. And now a bill is being introduced<\/a><\/span> in the US House of Representatives for American occupation forces to be removed from Syria. It would appear Syria is beginning to get some help \u2013 but not so fast\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Anthony Blinken has just pledged $100 million in aid to T\u0171rkiye and Syria via USAID and StatePRM, the former a CIA cut-out and the latter a bureau of the US State Dept. The money will not go to the Syrian government. It is being used to rehabilitate the White Helmets, an organization that has long been discredited<\/a><\/span> and which is affiliated with the jihadi elements in Idlib. War appears to be coming to Syria again. The quake is being used as the vehicle for it, as in hitting Syria in its moment of weakness. Where does this show in the Syrian chart?<\/span><\/p>\n

As of this writing directed Mars has just come within its degree of orb and thus influence with Syria\u2019s Uranus, warning of a struggle for survival, violence, attempts at revolution, etc. In addition, Mars will come within orb of Syria\u2019s ascendant, just after the Wesak full moon (full moon of Taurus) this year. Washington is keen to open a second front with Russian involvement to pull its resources away from Ukraine. And the US has unfinished business with Syria. They want Assad gone.<\/span><\/p>\n

What all this means is the fighting spirit (Mars on the Ascendant) will be roused again in Syria. Iran will be sending air defense systems to Syria. The Russians are still there. The fact this Member of the House (Gaetz) wants American troops out of Syria is an indicator that something is up. Gaetz is on the House Armed Services Committee.<\/span><\/p>\n

It will be interesting to watch what the Arab nations do once fighting erupts again in Syria, as seems very likely now. Will they still seek rapprochement and normalization still or are their attempts now only a feint? Only time will tell. But the Idlib jihadis must eventually be ousted, the Kurds re-integrated with Damascus and the Americans out of Syria full stop, at some point. The pressure there is building to a coming crisis, likely to start within a year.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, we see with this tragedy that aside from the immense human suffering various parties will try to game the situation for their own interests. As far as Washington is concerned it is a case of \u2018never let a good crisis go to waste\u2019. The Israelis are also in on that, making air strikes on Damascus<\/a><\/span> in the midst of Syria\u2019s weakness, thus reflecting the Mars direction to the natal Uranus \u2013 \u2018kicking a man while he is down\u2019. There has also been Daesh activity since the quake<\/a><\/span>, with an attack that killed 53 people in central Syria, along with a jailbreak<\/a><\/span> by jihadis due to collapsed buildings in Syria.<\/span><\/p>\n

T\u0171rkiye and Syria bear careful watching in the year ahead as they struggle to recover from the quake.The Turks will be embroiled in domestic politics as a result of the quake, along with NATO pressures to bring the Turks back into the NATO fold. At present the Turks are defiant in their resistance to it.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Syria, war is coming again by the looks of events, but it will be limited to Idlib and north-western Syria. The rifts caused by the quake are healing the rifts in relations between old neighbors in the region. Any war in Syria to come will be the final phase of their conflict. It will likely also finally push the Americans out of Syria. That may take a year or two, but it is on the cards. West Asia is regaining at least a measure of its sovereignty. Meanwhile we hold the line for a quick healing from this disaster. Peace be to Syria and T\u0171rkiye. May the quake also serve to heal old enmities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Featured pic from Wales Online<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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On the 6th of February 2023 at 04:17 TRT a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck southern T\u00fcrkiye and north-western Syria. As of this writing the quake has killed over 50,000 people, with over 120,000 injured, the great majority of them in T\u0171rkiye. There have been over 2100 aftershocks, with over 230 of those registering M4.0 or … <\/p>\n

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