NewsScope for October 2, 2007

Burma: The Whole World is Watching

Although the Myanmar's military government has shut down the nation's internet cafes and shot photo-journalists, digital images and stories of the ongoing brutal repression are circulating around the global village. The current popular unrest in Burma—renamed Myanmar by the Generals—has its roots in 1988, when millions of citizens launched a pro-democracy movement that was abruptly cut short by a coup d'etat.

The horoscope for Myanmar's military regime is set for that coup (September 18, 1988; 4:00 pm*; Rangoon). Myanmar's Sun is found in the military service sign of Virgo, where it squares a Saturn-Uranus conjunction in late Sagittarius. This dynamic is now being activated by transiting Pluto, and reveals the deep-seated transformation that is unfolding, since Pluto has been hovering over Myanmar's Saturn-Uranus over the past year. 

With transcendental Neptune conjunct Myanmar's Aquarius Ascendant, Buddhist monks have naturally become the vanguard of the protest movement. Minor rallies over an increase in fuel prices took a dramatic turn on September 5 when troops killed a number of protestors. That was the day Pluto turned direct while exactly conjunct natal Saturn (orb 0º05'). Saturn-Pluto cycles, as described most eloquently by Richard Tarnas in Cosmos and Psyche, are "the punitive assertion of conservative or reactionary authority."

Last week, the extremely confrontational Mars and Pluto opposition aligned with Myanmar's Saturn. Protestors' ranks had swollen to 100,000 until the troops began shooting, killing an unknown number of unarmed monks and students. Next up: transiting Pluto is heading into the conjunction with Myanmar's Uranus during the first week of November, the most revolutionary combination in the heavens.

Top Five Astro-Events for October

1. Mars is in Cancer all month, energizing family dynamics. Any unresolved tension between family members is ripe for contention, as many people will be feeling moody, more defensive, and over-reactive in the domestic environment. Since Mars turns retrograde while in Cancer, this cycle lasts an extraordinarily long time—until the first week of May. 

2. Jupiter squares Uranus on the 9th and is a significant influence for the first two weeks of October. This Jupiter-Uranus may bring sudden insights, windfalls, or strokes of good fortune. The liberating vibration works to throw off all forms of oppression and rigid structures. Original thinkers do well, while dogmatic people will suffer from mediocrity and hypocrisy.

3. Mercury turns retrograde on the 11th right on the U.S. Scorpio Ascendant, bringing national news that changes the country's direction. Intelligence reports lead to doubt and the need for new plans (Vesta conjunct Pluto). Mercury is near a Juno-Chiron square, so watch for big news about famous couples involving separation, alimony or romantic triangles.

4. The Full Moon takes place on October 26 (12:52 am EDT), only two hours after Hillary Clinton's Solar Return. This astro-event emphasizes the fullness of her campaign now, and the feeling of inevitability around her eventual victory. Venus in modest Virgo is awakened by Uranus, bringing excitement and/or disruption into normal relationship patterns.

5. Ceres squares Neptune as Neptune turns retrograde on the 29th and 30th. This combo will likely bring financial scandal and more product recalls, since Ceres is in earthy Taurus; also watch for tainted food supplies. Ceres-Neptune may bring disasters at sea, or other tragic loss of life related to Neptune's affairs.

Gerry McCann's Horoscope

Portuguese police continue to suspect Gerry and Kate McCann in the case of their missing daughter Madeleine. The latest theory is that Kate killed Madeleine while Gerry was playing tennis, and then hid the body in a refrigerator. Friends insist that Kate was also playing tennis at this time, and note that the tiny size of the apartment's fridge's make these theories impossible.

Gerry McCann's birth time is now known to be 7:45 am** (June 5, 1968; Glasgow, UK), giving him the family-oriented sign of Cancer on the Ascendant. The ruler of his chart is therefore his Virgo Moon, which is located in the Fourth House of the home. From these placements, we can see that family is everything to Gerry, especially since his Moon is in the same place as Madeleine's Moon.

Gerry's Fourth House Moon is conjunct Pluto and Uranus, with the entire stellium square Mars in the Twelfth House of secret enemies. One can only wonder at the ancestral influences that created this difficult set-up—perhaps some genetic or karmic inheritance from a Scottish warrior clan. Madeleine disappeared when transiting Pluto was squaring his Moon, activating this underlying psychological complex.

Neptune, the ruler of his Midheaven, is found in the Fifth House of children, where it squares Jupiter. All three family members have a Jupiter-Neptune aspect, and Madeleine went missing when Jupiter and Neptune were sextile. This planetary signature may indicate some resolution when Jupiter is conjunct Neptune in 2009. In the meantime, watch for some big news as Uranus turns direct while exactly square Gerry's Sun in late November.

*4:00 pm was when the army made the radio announcement establishing the new government. The time is from personal correspondence with an eyewitness. For discussion of Burma's national horoscope and other relevant charts, see www.neptunecafe.com.

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