NewsScope for August 15, 2006

Saturn Fortifies UNIFIL

Over the weekend, the U.N. Security Council approved a plan to end the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, with both parties agreeing to abide by the resolution once the timing is confirmed. The cease-fire calls for a massive increase of U.N. troops and a matching force from the weak Lebanon military in order to jointly secure the border between Lebanon and Israel.

In an extraordinary historic parallel, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL*) was originally mandated one Saturn cycle ago on March 19, 1978, shortly after Israel invaded Lebanon following attacks by the PLO. Saturn, the ultimate reality checker, was in Leo then and under duress from a square to Uranus in Scorpio. Now Saturn has returned to Leo, and is likewise under duress—this time from an opposition to Neptune.

Israel ignored UNIFIL since it was militarily ineffective, and expanded its invasion into Lebanon in 1982. Saturn cycles present an opportunity to learn from the past and make corrections. This time, 15,000 troops will hit the ground matched by 15,000 Lebanese soldiers, and Israel has promised to halt its military offensive. However, as described in NewsScope July 25, a powerful square between Pluto and the lunar node axis unfolds this coming October.

In addition, Pluto will be making hard hits to the national horoscopes in the region (see www.neptunecafe.com for these charts), all of which says that this conflict is not settled. From the broader view of the emerging Age of Aquarius, UNIFIL may again need radical increases in strength in response to further escalation of the conflict. In this sense, the pressure-cooker Middle East becomes the oyster that will eventually create the pearl of an effective global security force.

Pluto in Capricorn

Several readers were curious about last week's statement concerning the Age of Aquarius: "Ultimately, we'll need an effective global government to oversee and enforce environmental regulations. This won't happen until Pluto works its way through Capricorn (the sign of government)." "When is that?" was the common refrain. The quick answer is that Pluto first enters Capricorn in 2008 and exits in 2024.

This interval presents an astrological window when individual sovereign nations and corporations will be challenged to relinquish control over their domains. This infers that only tremendous calamity—such as global warming, regional war, or financial collapse—will push sovereign entities to unite for a common purpose and collective security. Pluto in Capricorn provides the celestial motivation for the restructuring of governments.

Hard aspects from other outer planets to Pluto in Capricorn describe the most fundamental shifts. The most interesting one begins when Uranus enters Aries and squares Pluto from 2011 to 2013. This Uranus-Pluto contact ignites the revolutionary forces that began in the mid-1960s when Uranus and Pluto were conjunct. Coincidentally, it loosely corresponds to the apocalyptic end of the Mayan calendar in 2012.

As chronicled by Richard Tarnas in his book Cosmos and Psyche, the Uranus-Pluto cycle ushers in enormous historical changes that require humanity to radically expand its vision. The Uranus-Pluto conjunction in the 1960s fostered social and political upheaval across the planet, but hadn't yet the technological capacity to make it a united, global revolution. With the internet now in place, the Uranus-Pluto square in 2012 presents a different story.

Marilyn Monroe Stages a Comeback

Legendary film star Marilyn Monroe has been in the news lately, beginning with CBS's 48 Hours Mystery investigation of her alleged homicide. Paris Hilton announced plans to bury her pet goat next to Marilyn's grave, while a Canadian singer offered proof that she is the reincarnation of Marilyn. Meanwhile, Lindsay Lohan wants to entertain the troops in Iraq just as Marilyn did during the Korean War.

Marilyn Monroe was born with her Venus in flirtatious Aries (June 1, 1926; 9:30 am; Los Angeles, CA), and located near her Midheaven, the career point. Naturally, Venus here gravitates toward a modeling career or as a beautiful celebrity. Venus is supported by a sextile to Jupiter and a trine to her First House  Ceres-Neptune conjunction, all of which tremendously enhances her charm and sex appeal.

Marilyn's Moon in Aquarius is in the Seventh House of partners and the general public. This Moon is under dynamic tension from a square to Saturn and an opposition to Neptune, all of which combine to create her psychological confusion and eventual addiction to pills. Pluto in her Twelfth House  of secrets is exactly conjunct the U.S. Sun, perhaps accounting for her enormous and mysterious impact on the American psyche.

At the time of her death on August 5, 1962, Marilyn had recently experienced a progressed Sun-Pluto conjunction in her Twelfth House, at the same time that her progressed Venus and Midheaven were conjunct her Gemini Sun. This describes the most important relationship of her life, which was the secret liaison with President John F. Kennedy. Gemini is the sign associated with brothers, and reportedly, Bobby Kennedy was her most recent love interest.

*For the story on UNIFIL, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIFIL

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