NewsScope for April 8, 2003

Uranus in Pisces

Last month Uranus entered Pisces, marking the beginning of its seven year march through this watery sign of faith, martyrdom and empathy. What can we expect from this new era? Already the nature of Uranus in Pisces is apparent from recent events, especially when compared to the historical record from 1919 to 1920, which was the last time Uranus entered Pisces.

Uranus was in Pisces in 1919 during the influenza pandemic that killed some 70 million people worldwide. The current outbreak of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) is a stark reminder of how a new or mutant virus can spread rapidly. Planets in Pisces have little regard for borders and clearly defined constraints. Uranus, the planet symbolizing a sudden crisis, in this sign describes the wide spread of the disease. Uranus is trine the United Nations Sun, giving the international body a significant role to play in solving the problem.

Uranus was in Pisces when the disintegrating Ottoman empire reconfigured as Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait and other Persian Gulf nations. The Treaty of Sevres, signed on August 20, 1920, cut across traditional Islamic tribal groups to form these states, and also promised the Kurds* that they could have their own sovereign nation. Kurdish hopes were dashed when the governments of Turkey, Iraq, and Iran—all with large Kurdish populations, agreed not to recognize Kurdistan.

Uranus in Pisces promises radical action and crises (Uranus) in and around the Middle East oil fields (Pisces). The Iraqi oil fields in Mosul and Kirkuk lie in traditionakl Kurdish territory, and could provide the financial security for Kurdish independence. Uranus in Pisces, ruled by Neptune, shows how nationhood and oil are inextricably interwoven.

Neptune in Aquarius

Neptune, the planet of spiritual and political aspirations, has been in Aquarius since 1998 and will remain in the sign of the New Age through January 2012. Are we in the Age of Aquarius? Although many astrologers cite a specific year when this presumably happy age will begin, no one knows for sure since the constellations are groups of stars and have no delineated interface. The precession of the equinoxes slips backwards through the zodiac and is currently in the area between Pisces and Aquarius.

Neptune's entrance into Aquarius corresponded to the awakening of the Internet as the premier communications technology of our era. Aquarius is the sign of networking, alliances and democratic processes. The lead-in to the war in Iraq brought an unprecedented global protest, an historic response that was facilitated by the Internet. The international symbol for web addresses begins with www, and looks suspiciously like the glyph for Aquarius.

Neptune is associated with martyrdom, and in the cause-oriented sign of Aquarius, this placement inspires the suicide bomber. This relatively new phenomenom is mostly connected to the political situation in the Middle East, especially in Palestine and wherever an oppressed people feel their only expression for their beliefs is through this dramatic self-sacrifice.

In Iraq's horoscope (see last week for details), Mars and Neptune are conjunct in Leo, and currently being activated by transiting Neptune's opposition. This astro-event points to several potential scenarios correlating Mars and Neptune, including the possibility of chemical attack, the camouflaging of military personnel as civilians, and suicide bombings. These situations will likely become more prevalent over the next few months as transiting Jupiter and Neptune move into opposition on June 3.

St. Russell's Basilica

Australian actor Russell Crowe married sweetheart Danielle Spencer on Monday. Everything about the ceremony evokes Uranus in Pisces, especially the innovative chapel, affectionately known as St. Russell's Basilica, where the ceremony is being held. The chapel is decorated with symbols from the faiths that arose during the Age of Pisces (Christian, Islamic and Jewish), and the floor has as its center piece a third-century mosaic of two fish caught on the same hook.

Russell Crowe was born with the Sun and Mars in bawdy, brawling, boozing Aries (April 7, 1964; Wellington, NZ; time unknown), a planetary duo that gives him the adventurous, heroic character to play the lead in Gladiator, or in Proof of Life with co-star Meg Ryan. The Pisces influence in this chart comes from Saturn which forms a square with Venus in Gemini, a difficult aspect for affairs of the heart.

Venus in Gemini loves to flirt and play around, and anyone who has tracked Crowe's romantic life with Meg Ryan, and a variety of models, actresses, and his "friendship" with Nicole Kidman, knows that Crowe identifies closely with his Venus. Saturn squaring Venus makes commitment difficult; it feels like a restrictive influence or has too many responsibilities, and up to now has restrained Crowe from taking the plunge.

Then along came transiting Uranus, which flipped on Saturn like a switch. Suddenly, commitment seemed like the right thing to do. Crowe is getting married on the exact day that transiting Uranus is conjunct his Saturn. However, Uranus makes two more passes across Saturn, and then goes on to oppose his natal Uranus. Astrologers won't believe he's serious about marriage unless he stays through these liberating influences.

*See this Washington Post article for background.

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