2010_01

1. The eclipse itself (which is the Sun and Moon in 180 degree opposition) is on the axis of the Midheaven and Nadir of Haiti’s chart. These points are the south and north of a chart, and are the points overhead and directly beneath, respectively. The chart of Haiti therefore was activated by this eclipse.

2. The Ascendent, or the eastern horizon, at the time of the lunar eclipse in Port au Prince, was at 25 Taurus. That’s the location of the most malefic star in astrology, Caput Algol; it is associated with death, destruction and violence.

3. Eclipses occur in series which range from 1226 to 1550 years in duration, and this eclipse is part of the Saros series 115. Looking at the chart of the first eclipse in the series gives an indication of the types of archetypal energies that will be associated with all eclipses in the series. During the first eclipse in the Saros 115 series, which originated on April 21, 1000 CE, the planet Pluto was conjunct the Moon and squaring Mars. As I mentioned earlier, both of these planets confer a violent and destructive quality, so all the eclipses in this series have had/will have the potential for that flavor as well.

This has been just a brief overview of the archetypal energies shown in these charts. Hopefully in the not too distant future, everyone everywhere will have a safe place to live, enough food to eat, and will be able to show up to help those who might be in need.

On January 12, 2010 at 4:53 PM local time in Port au Prince, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 occurred. The outpouring of support for the Haitian people has just barely started to arrive in that ravaged nation. If at all possible, please make a donation to the charity of your choice to help in the relief efforts. Let us keep Haiti in our prayers and help them in any way that we can.

How can astrology help in a situation like this? That is an important question I hope to shed some light on.

Many astrologers have been examining the radix (birth) chart of the nation of Haiti, but that, of course, is in hindsight. Mundane astrology, which applies to politics and nations, is practiced by very few astrologers full time. Most astrologers concentrate on the birth charts of people, not nations. Throughout history, countries, cities and kings have had astrologers working for them, examining the charts of the leaders, the nation and important cities and comparing them alongside eclipse charts and other types of mundane charts; all in order to help predict a tragedy and save as many people as possible. Today, few practice mundane astrology, and I suppose few who could effect positive change would listen.

Could astrology have predicted the earthquake? That is unknown at this time. Astrologers have been working on earthquake prediction for a long time without the support of any academic or government institutions. The process is slow, laborious, with neither funding nor recognition.

What is certain is that when looking at Haiti’s chart currently it appears to be in a very difficult phase with a major catastrophic event probable. Of course one does not strictly speaking need to be an astrologer to figure this out: two coups d'états to overthrow democratically elected leaders in ‘91 and 2004 (sponsored generously by ours truly), replacing them with two despots, failed economic policy, lack of real infrastructure, and ecological devastation have primed the pump for the disaster after the natural disaster. Few cities in the world would have faired well under such a powerful earthquake, but Haiti’s capital was already teetering on the brink of chaos.

The nation of Haiti was declared independent from France on January 1, 1804 by a slave revolt leader named Jean-Jacques Desalines in the city of Gonaïves. The time is not known, but in Nick Campion’s monumental compilation, Book of World Horoscopes, he uses a noon time. Some astrologers, like myself, are using a midnight chart, and without going into too much detail suffice it to say either time works well as the charts are mirror images of each other. Only the position of the Moon is unknown, as it moves about 12.5 degrees per day.

Below is a picture of the radix chart for Haiti, using midnight ...

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Above is a bi-wheel chart for Haiti (inner wheel) and the moment of the earthquake (outer wheel).

1. The angles of both of the charts align very closely. The angles of a chart are the four directions: north, south, east and west. This alignment translates into an “activating” of the chart for Haiti. Look for the symbol AS in the outer wheel near the top of the outer circle. It is very close to the Midheaven of the inner wheel. Then look to the far right side of the outer wheel and see the letters MC, which stands for Midheaven. This also shows that the angles are all aligned.

2. In the chart of Haiti, the planet Saturn is at 3 Libra. Currently, Saturn is at the same location, so Haiti is experiencing a Saturn return. Saturn in mundane astrology represents the government and its laws. Saturn also means structure and form. Saturn returns are major milestones in the lives of people and nations.

3. In the chart of Haiti, Saturn is 90 degrees from Mars. This is called a square, often a challenging aspect. Mars represents military, war and violence. If you combine these with the keywords for Saturn, you can start to get a picture of the history of Haiti.

4. Currently, the planet Pluto is exactly where Mars was when Haiti became a nation; this is called a conjunction. The energy associated with Pluto is similar to that of the Hindu god, Shiva, the creator and destroyer. Pluto’s energy can be likened to a powerful transformation after total destruction. It is the Phoenix rising from the ashes - it may come to represent the final outcome for the people of Haiti. If one combines the keywords for Mars and Pluto one gets a feeling for this major transit as well.

5. The planets Neptune and Jupiter and the asteroid Chiron are all in opposition (180 degrees apart) to the Moon in Haiti’s chart. Neptune is associated with earthquakes in Greek and Roman mythology, Jupiter is associated with anything that is massively large and Chiron is associated with wounding. The Moon in mundane astrology represents the people of a nation.

Now, lets look at the chart of the lunar eclipse that just occurred on December 31, 2009 combined with the chart for Haiti. Haiti’s chart is the inner wheel and the eclipse moment is the outer wheel ...