Israel Attacks Gaza

From Reuters:
"Israeli warplanes pounded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing at least 225 people in one of the bloodiest days for the Palestinians in 60 years of conflict with the Jewish state.

Hamas vowed revenge including suicide bomb attacks in the "cafes and streets" of Israel. But Israeli leaders said the offensive would continue as long as necessary and suggested it may also involve land forces.

Israel said the strikes were in response to almost daily "intolerable" rocket fire by Gaza militants, which intensified after Hamas ended a six-month-old ceasefire a week ago. The rockets caused few injuries, but goaded Israelis as they gear up for a February election.

"There is a time for calm and a time for fighting, and now the time has come to fight," Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said. Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned that "it may take time, and each and every one of us must be patient so we can complete the mission."

Astrologers were waiting for the other shoe to drop, and now it has. The bombing attack on Gaza was launched at 11:30 am, with the Sun, Moon, Mars, and Pluto on the Midheaven in Israel- while today's New Moon puts these planets in the 8th house of life and death struggles. In fact- the Capricorn ingress(winter solstice) chart for Jerusalem, which sets the tone for the season, has this violent, triple conjunction in the 8th house, with the Moon's Nodes angular, and directly on the powerful Uranus-Pluto midpoint. In notation, this midpoint picture looks like: Nodes = Uranus/Pluto direct, 14 minute orb.

By 2012 Uranus and Pluto will be forming their first of seven exact squares, which promises to bring massive changes to the earth herself, and radically transform the geopolitical climate as well. But in a sense, this epochal square is already in effect, as the 8/1/08 total solar eclipse fell directly on the Uranus/Pluto midpoint. Astrologer Reinhold Ebertin describes the Uranus/Pluto principle as "the process of transformation. The collapse of the old order of things, the construction of the new. Revolution. Building on the ruins of the old". Since that eclipse, which conjoined the Ascendant in Washington DC, we've seen a global financial meltdown that started in the US, and the meteoric rise of Barack Obama to the highest office in the land. The eclipse occurred 3 days before his birthday.

I've wondered if the transiting Nodes crossing the eclipse degree(9-10 Leo) would trigger the latent power of the eclipse, and now it's confirmed. The Aug. 1, 2008 total solar eclipse chart, featured the Moon's Nodes exactly on the meridian in Jerusalem, which foreshadowed things to come- as eclipses are closely linked to the Moon's Nodes. Moreover, this particular eclipse fell about 3 degrees from Israel's natal Pluto- planet of extremes and destruction.

Looking ahead, we find the Moon's Nodal axis exactly on the 2009 Aries ingress(Spring Equinox) horizon in Jerusalem, which brings the mass karma into focus there. The ingress Ascendant and the Lunar South Node, are in the 8th degree of Leo, conjunct a star known as South Asellus. Interestingly- the 8/1/08 eclipse also conjoined Asellus Australis- a star near South Asellus. Further, the 2009 solar return for Israel's horoscope, has the 10 Leo Ascendant conjunct Asellus Australis. So we have the same star group receiving repeated activation.

The following interpretations are paraphrased from fixed star expert Diana K. Rosenberg's workbook, and pertain to Praesaepe, North Asellus, and South Asellus.
"Intense, fiercely focused energies, single-minded, fanatic, obsessive, take risks, may be violent. Mundane: "Fires, embarkations, invasions, explosions, ships, shipwrecks, storms, eruptions, entire cities destroyed; assassinations, murder".

Israel's Horoscope
There's some controversy over the most accurate chart for the nation of Israel. I found the following statement by well known astrologer Noel Tyl on AstroDatabank. "I have been writing and lecturing on the chart of Israel for many, many years; made over 50 hours of presentations, much of them dealing with the Israel horoscope, on site in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to the Israeli astrological community. I have made many, many outstanding predictions using the 4:00 PM birth time, predictions that have indeed been published in magazines and books, before the facts."
AstroDatabank

My friend Jorge Angelino also advocates the 4:00 pm chart for the State of Israel.
SATVARGAS

Others claim the chart for Israel should be cast for 4:37 pm(May 14, 1948), when supposedly, (David) Ben Gurion formally announced the state of Israel was born. This version of the national horoscope gives Israel a Scorpio Ascendant, rather than Libra. Currently- the progressed Midheaven and Ascendant for this chart are in the early cardinal degrees, with transiting Pluto(and Mars) now in square. This activation certainly fits the violent circumstances.
The State of Israel

The late, great astrologer Alexander Marr rectified the Israeli horoscope to 4:15 pm, and this is the chart for Israel that I prefer at this writing- subject to change.

My friend Thor has his own opinions which are posted here.
SAMVA Blog

A historical site of relevance:
Israel Independence Day

The 2008 Capricorn Ingress

The Capricorn solar ingress(Winter Solstice) which sets the tone for the next 3 months, shows an extraordinary level of activity over India. An ACG map of this ingress, has a confluence of planetary lines crossing there. Sun-Mars-Pluto are setting, with Uranus on the Midheaven opposite Saturn near the IC. From this map alone, it appears that India is a flash-point for major world events during the winter.

AstroCartoGraphy Map

Solar Eclipse and Indonesia
Saturn and the fixed star Denebola- linked to natural disasters, are at the IC(4th house cusp) in Jakarta, for the Jan. 26, 2009 solar eclipse, with Uranus on the Midheaven. The path of this partial solar eclipse just passes over Jakarta, which suggests that the eclipse may have a direct influence in that region. Moreover, with Saturn and malefic Denebola focused at the longitude of Jakarta, we can anticipate some possible weather related disasters- or earthquake activity in Indonesia.

Eclipse Map

Dec. 27 Capricorn New Moon

Greetings,

There's a good write up on the 12/27 Capricorn New Moon at the 'Real Astrologers' site. The emphasis on the no-nonsense sign of Capricorn, is partly smoothed over by a Venus-Neptune conjunction, but the long-term agenda is clear- it's time to clean house and get our affairs in order. The economic crisis is not going away anytime soon, so a collective mind-shift shaped by new realities will be required.

The major Pluto transit to the USA's natal(7/4/1776) Venus, which starts in early 2009, suggests that the economy will probably get worse before it gets better, and the nation's values regarding what's really important, are subject to extreme changes over the few years. Consumerism- in and of itself, is no longer a viable lifestyle.

"The New Moon on December 27 may be one of the most significant of 2008, because it conjoins Pluto as Pluto begins its 16-year journey through Capricorn, signaling the beginning of a new era."
Read More

National outlooks: Economic winners and losers
CBS News

Analemma over the Porch of Maidens

If you took a picture of the Sun at the same time each day, would it remain in the same position? The answer is no, and the shape traced out by the Sun over the course of a year is called an analemma. The Sun's apparent shift is caused by the Earth's motion around the Sun when combined with the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis. The Sun will appear at its highest point of the analemma during summer and at its lowest during winter. Today, the Winter Solstice day in Earth's northern hemisphere, the Sun is at the bottom of the analemma. Analemmas created from different latitudes would appear at least slightly different, as well as analemmas created at a different time each day. This particular analemma was built up by 46 separate Sun photographs taken during 2003 in Athens, Greece. Pictured in the foreground of this composite image are pillars called the Porch of Maidens, part of the ancient Erechtheum which was completed in 407 BC.
Source: Astronomy Picture of the Day

Ohio Workers Hit Lottery Jackpot

(CNN)- "Fourteen city workers and one retired city worker in the western
Ohio town of Piqua claimed a $207 million 12-state lottery prize Wednesday.

After five years of buying Mega Millions Lottery tickets, a group of 15
people in Ohio finally hit the jackpot. The workers posed for pictures behind an oversized replica of the check, smiled for photographers and described their plans, which range from buying a new truck to quitting a job and traveling.

As they had done twice a week for the past five years, the group pooled
their money to buy Mega Millions Lottery tickets. Last Friday, a ticket bought at a Kroger supermarket in Piqua changed their lives.
Read More


The Dec. 1 Venus-Jupiter conjunction, which is still visible after sunset, was prominently placed in Piqua, as the benefic planets of joy(Venus) and wealth(Jupiter) came together.

On December 1(8:46 GMT) this lucky conjunction was near the IC(4th house cusp) at Piqua, and exactly square the Ascendant there. On Wednesday, when this story was published, transiting Jupiter was spot on IC of the conjunction chart, bringing to fruition the happy promise of good fortune.

12/1/08 Venus-Jupiter conjunction in Piqua, Ohio:
Midheaven = 26 Cancer = VE/JU 22 Capricorn = Ascendant 22 Libra.

Ancient Celestial Computer

The Antikythera Mechanism is widely considered to be one of the most important archeological artifacts ever found. The mechanism is a geared device consisting of 30 gears in a highly complex arrangement. The mechanism is known to model astronomical phenomenon with remarkable detail.

"MARCELLUS and his men blockaded Syracuse, in Sicily, for two years. The Roman general expected to conquer the Greek city state easily, but the ingenious siege towers and catapults designed by Archimedes helped to keep his troops at bay.

Then, in 212 BC, the Syracusans neglected their defences during a festival to the goddess Artemis, and the Romans finally breached the city walls. Marcellus wanted Archimedes alive, but it wasn't to be. According to ancient historians, Archimedes was killed in the chaos; by one account a soldier ran him through with a sword as he was in the middle of a mathematical proof.

One of Archimedes's creations was saved, though. The general took back to Rome a mechanical bronze sphere that showed the motions of the sun, moon and planets as seen from Earth."
Read More-> NewScientist

Astrodienst Article