Extreme Weather in the U.S.

A chaotic flurry of twisters and violent storms have spread devastation fast and widely across six southern states, killing at least 291 people, with more than half in Alabama. Thousands have been injured, and many more have been left homeless.

Astrologically, I think this deadly weather is related to the angular Uranus-Pluto square in the 2011 Aries ingress(spring equinox) chart, and the transit of Uranus to the Aries ingress Vertex- which signifies fateful encounters. I don't normally include the Vertex when casting a mundane chart, but in this case it seems to be a worthwhile factor to consider. (The May 1 assassination of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan also fits the Uranus-Vertex contact, with the ingress Vertex in the 7th house of open enemies. We might also expect retaliatory attacks from Al Qaeda in some form or another.) Uranus reflects sudden shocks/events that that are often radical and unpredictable. While Pluto symbolizes power, ruthless forces, and destructive upheavals. (The transit of Uranus to the US Sibly chart Venus(3 Cancer) might also reflect extreme weather, as Venus rules the natal 4th house.)

From United States

The Cancer ingress(summer solstice) chart for Washington, D.C., appears nearly as stressful as the Aries ingress, with Uranus on the Vertex and square Pluto. Again, the epic square is on the angles and therefore capable of producing forceful effects locally. Although Saturn is not conjunct the ingress Ascendant, it is near the star called Vindemiatrix- the 'widdowmaker', long associated with natural disasters. And as Saturn rules the ingress 4th house(weather, land, and homes), it's conjunction with a malefic star is not a favorable sign for the U.S. regarding 4th house matters.

Looking ahead, the Sept. 27 Libra New Moon is a flashpoint for major U.S. events that resonate with the intense Uranus-Pluto square. The exact nature of these prospective events is not exactly clear- but further extreme weather, earthquakes, and political upheaval are likely.

‎"If our current civilization were to disintegrate, we might face an apocalyptic passage, forcing us to evolve at high speed. Breakdown(Pluto) and breakthrough(Uranus) may happen simultaneously." ~Daniel Pinchbeck

New Moon in Taurus

The May 2 Taurus New Moon is the second of the astrological new year, and falls near the cross-quarter day known as Beltane, which marks the midpoint in the Sun's progress between the spring equinox and summer solstice. The calendar date for this midpoint is closer to 5 May, but this can vary slightly.

From Mundane Charts

"Beltane is the last of the three spring fertility festivals, the others being Imbolc and Ostara. Beltane is the second principal Celtic festival- the other being Samhain. Celebrated approximately halfway between Vernal(spring) equinox and the midsummer(Summer Solstice). Beltane traditionally marked the arrival of summer in ancient times.

At Beltane the Pleiades star cluster rises just before sunrise on the morning horizon, whereas winter(Samhain) begins when the Pleiades rises at sunset. The Pleiades is a cluster of seven closely placed stars, the seven sisters, in the constellation of Taurus, near his shoulder. When looking for the Pleiades with the naked eye, remember it looks like a tiny dipper-shaped pattern of six moderately bright stars(the seventh can be seen on very dark nights) in the constellation of Taurus. It stands very low in the east-northeast sky for just a few minutes before sunrise.

Beltane, and its counterpart Samhain, divide the year into its two primary seasons, winter(Dark Part) and summer(Light Part). As Samhain is about honoring Death, Beltane, its counter part, is about honoring Life. It is the time when the sun is fully released from his bondage of winter and able to rule over summer and life once again." ~Christina Aubin

Taurus the Bull is the first of the earth signs, and has a refined appreciation of nature's bounty and the creature comforts of owning a body in a world of beauty and pleasure. (Unfortunately- the radiation from Fukushima could be contaminating our food and environment.) As a fixed sign, Taurus has a knack for creating stability, but can also be resistant to change.

This particular New Moon may require some adjustments, but the combination of multiple Aries planets, and the Sun-Moon in Taurus, can stimulate energetic action aimed at establishing practical and sustainable routines.

New Moons initiate the birth of the lunar cycle, and the next two New Moon's(June 1 & July 1) are actually partial solar eclipses- extraordinary lunations, that can ideally herald important beginnings.

Through the lens of mundane astrology, the Taurus New Moon appears powerfully placed in Tokyo, where the nuclear crisis there continues to unfold under dark Saturnian clouds. And the New Moon on the Midheaven in New Delhi suggests that events and/or important persons in India are likely to make headline news.

From Mundane Charts 2

The Galactic Alignment and Fukushima

According to the calculations of master astronomer Jean Meuss, the date of the exact winter solstice alignment with the intersection of the galactic plane(Milk Way), was May 1998.* And this is the only time in the 26,000 year precessional cycle or 'Platonic year', that the winter solstice(in the northern hemisphere) is aligned with galactic equator.

The May 1998 Scorpio Full Moon, conjoined the comet Chiron(the shamanic wounded healer & symbol of environmental awareness) near the Midheaven in Fukushima, Japan, opposite a Sun-0-Mars(active force-violence) on the IC-4th house cusp(weather, land, and earthquakes). Mars in it's detriment is capable of great harm, and Pluto- modern ruler of the Scorpio Moon, is conjunct the 'nuclear axis', and square the fateful Lunar Nodes. So there's an apparent connection between the extremely rare galactic alignment, and the May 1998 Full Moon that was sharply focused at the longitude of the now stricken Fukushima plant. And this linkage seems to reflect a meaningful coincidence, that contextualizes Japan's nuclear disaster against the backdrop of the turning of the ages, and perhaps the birth of a new Platonic Year.

From Asia & Mideast

The 1998 Aries ingress(Vernal Equinox) which set the astrological tone for that entire year, also singled out Fukushima as a probable location for global events in 1998. This solar ingress chart shows the most important planetary aspect- a potent t-square between Jupiter, Pluto, and the Moon's Nodes, at it's most powerful position in Fukushima. And this t-square's activation of the nuclear axis, is obviously relevant to current events at this same location. (Pluto at 8 Sagittarius was rising in Tokai, Japan, when a nuclear accident occurred there Sept. 30, 1999.) Interestingly- Jupiter and Pluto were exactly square again on Feb. 25, 2011, just two weeks before all hell broke loose in Japan- although unrelated to the galactic alignment.

From Asia & Mideast

The waxing squares of Jupiter(growth; excess) and Pluto(power; ruthless force) from July 2010 to Feb. 2011 marked a crucial phase of the 13 year synodic cycle begun Dec. 11, 2007. The chart for this potent Jupiter-Pluto conjunction(28 Sagittarius) has the Moon's fateful Nodes on the MC-IC axis in Fukushima. And transiting Neptune(chaos; the oceans) was crossing this IC-Node, while the Node hit the exact degree of the Jupiter-0-Pluto(28 Sag), when the earthquake-tsunami struck.

From Asia & Mideast

"The Maya understood that whereas the 260-day sacred cycle is our period of individual gestation, the 26,000 year cycle is our collective gestation- our collective unfolding as a species, John Major Jenkins wrote in Maya Cosmogenesis 2012. 'Precession represents a 26,000-year cycle of biological unfolding- a type of spiritual gestation and birth- that Earth and its consciousness-endowed life forms undergo.'" ~Daniel Pinchbeck

*See-> Mathematical Astronomy Morsels, by Jean Meuss.

A Shamanic Look at the Turning of the Ages: Daniel Giamario

Just How Precise is Mayan Astronomy? PDF file

Was the Japan earthquake related to the Mayan calendar?
C.Calleman

Steven Forrest on Global Transformation

Another great video from astrologer Steven Forrest on the epic world transits- Uranus in Aries square Pluto in Capricorn, and Neptune entering the sign of Pisces.
YouTube

Michael Ruppert's Dire Forecast

Michael Ruppert's latest video projects a global financial meltdown by July 2011, as result of Japan's crisis-mode, and the ripple effect through the fragile world economy. He lays out a compelling case. CollapseNet

Nuclear Crisis at Fukushima

Saturn was exactly setting in Fukushima, Japan, at the minute the First Nuclear Reaction began on Dec. 2, 1942. And the Dec. 3, 2010 solar return for this reaction has Pluto exactly setting in Tokyo. Saturn = form and structure, but also limitations, and hardships. Pluto = extreme and/or destructive events, upheaval, and also 'plutonium'.

From Asia & Mideast

Not only did Uranus enter Aries less then 24 hours after the Mar. 11 disaster with the Moon on the nuclear axis(10 Gemini-Sagittarius) rising in Japan, but the chart for Uranus at 0 North declination(4/9/11, 7:34 pm, GMT) is also instructive. (A planet crossing the equator at the Vernal Point marks the birth of a new declination cycle. Of course, Uranus only crosses the Vernal Point/0 Aries every 84 years.) This declination chart shows Uranus 'the awakener' rising in Tokyo, with both the Ascendant and Midheaven on the potent 0 Aries point('world axis')! Hence, both these mundane charts suggest that the forceful shocks and violent instability signified by Uranus in Aries are astrologically linked with Japan. And this nation will therefore play a leading role in expressing the Uranian seed energy unfolding over the next 7 years.

From Mundane Charts

On Tuesday April 12 Japan raised the crisis level at its crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant to a severity on par with the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, because of high radiation leaks that have contaminated the air, tap water, vegetables and seawater.
Nuclear Japan

I did not predict Japan's Mar. 2011 catastrophe, but I did note back in Mar. 2010 that the 7/12/10 total solar eclipse rising in Tokyo foreshadowed major events in Japan, as the first eclipse of Saros series 146 rose in Tokyo.
Saros Series 146 & Japan
SolEclipsesSaros146

2 Events with Similar Charts

Today's powerful aftershock in Japan, and the deadly bombing of a Minsk metro train at the height of rush hour, both occurred with Saturn rising, and a violent Mars-Pluto square in effect.

From Mundane Charts

The Symmetry of Cause & Effect

By Michael Garfield

"As if the accelerating pace of the 21st Century were not enough, I am starting to suspect that the common notion of time as frantic but comfortably linear is hopelessly naïve -- that in order to adequately navigate our postmodern lives, we need a postmodern understanding of causality. The more I look, the more I find a growing body of evidence that time -- both as it is experienced and as it is disclosed by science -- is best understood as more of a loom than a river. Gathered here are just a few of the many independent programs that suggest that our ideas of cause and effect need to be drastically reworked."
Reality Sandwich

Solar Watch for April 8, 2011

This is an interesting earthquake forecast based primarily on solar activity and planetary alignments. The forecast corresponds with the annual Pluto station of April 9 that will concentrate the intensity of this dwarf planet, and the transiting Mars-Pluto square on April 11- mentioned here in recent posts as probable indications of violent upheaval.
G2 Geomagnetic Storm- YouTube

Emile Okal: Scientist's Did Not Expect 9.0 Earthquake in Japan,
"The March 11 undersea earthquake off the coast of Japan– which ultimately measured 9.0 on the Richter scale– was a more powerful earthquake than expected for that region, according to geophysicists. That is why the Sendai area of Japan, near the earthquake’s epicenter, was not prepared for such a large quake and the subsequent tsunami. EarthSky’s Beth Lebwohl spoke to Emile Okal of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He is an expert in large earthquakes and their tsunamis. He said:

Essentially, the feeling was that– if you had a very, very old ocean floor– when it was eventually recycled into the mantle of the Earth, you wouldn’t get these mega-earthquakes.

In other words, although it’s true the March 11 quake happened along the Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean, where earthquakes are common, such a large quake had not been anticipated. The March 11 quake happened in a place where Earth’s crust is very old– 140 million years old according to scientists’ reckoning. Old crust is cooler and denser than younger crust. The older crust in this region was believed by geophysicists to dive more smoothly beneath the land plate that carries northern Japan."
EarthSky

The Evening and Morning Star

By John P. Pratt:
"The text book for our astronomy class gives all kinds of data about the planets Mercury and Venus that was gathered from fly-bys and probes, but it doesn't tell you how to go out and look that the planets in the sky! So let's learn the basics of the Evening and the Morning stars.

Both Mercury and Venus are both evening and morning stars. That is because they are nearer to the sun than the earth is, so they can never appear very far from the sun in the sky. In other words, when the sun sets in the evening they might be in the west, near the sun as an evening star. Or they could be in the morning sky before sunrise, again, near the sun. But neither Mercury nor Venus can be opposite the sun in the sky, such as rising at sunset. Hence, they are called the evening and morning stars. Actually, "evening star" or "morning star" nearly always refers to Venus, which is by far the brightest celestial object in the sky after the sun and moon. Mercury is much dimmer and only visible for a few weeks of the year."
Read More

Synodic Cycles and Planetary Retrogrades- Cycles of Growth in Consciousness:
Nick A. Fiorenza

Canada's Stellar Stamps

Canada's Stamp Details- Mar. 21, 2011:

"What’s your sign? Are you a routine-lusting Taurus? An indecisive Gemini? Does being born under the sign of Cancer make you a moody homebody or are you an Aries-inspired natural born leader?

While many cultures have their own distinct zodiac signs and representative animals (for example, see our stamp issue celebrating the Year of the Rabbit, part of the 12-year menagerie that is the Lunar New Year), the most popular versions in our western world are the ones we find on the horoscope pages of our local newspapers, inspired by Roman, Hellenistic and Babylonian legend and symbolism.

Zodiac signs can be fascinating- whether you take the personality traits of your sign to heart and pay strict attention to your daily horoscope or merely see them as a conversation starter. They’re also often viewed as an interesting means of self-expression- and with that in mind, Canada Post will begin to roll out stamps bearing each of the 12 signs of the Zodiac, over the next three years.

For example, in 2011, the Aries stamp begins the annual Zodiac cycle on the Spring Equinox, March 21, followed in order by Taurus (April 21), Gemini (May 22) and Cancer (June 22.)

This first stamp, in honor of Aries, the Ram, features a stylized ram’s head in the foreground, with the constellation from which it originates in the background. This twinning of imagery will continue on every stamp in the series. Aries is the sign that begins the zodiacal year, and those born under it are thought to be natural leaders, open to new ideas and staunch defenders of freedom of thought.

According to Paprika Design’s Creative Director and Associate Louis Gagnon, the design assignment was both rigorous and stimulating. “We wanted to design a series with a strong aesthetic value, but also develop it on multiple levels to bring depth and relevance to each stamp issue in the series.” Gagnon adds, “We hope collectors will enjoy discovering all the attributes of the entire series over the years.”

For Stamp Design Manager Alain Leduc, this series is both intensely creative and informative. “With these stamps, Paprika took a unique approach, ensuring that each product within the series complements and extends the ideas inherent in the others. Each stamp reflects the characteristics of the sign’s main attributes and colors in a very contemporary and sensitive way, each OFDC reveals a more precise understanding of the stars’ positions in the universe- and even the cancels for each sign depict early modern simplifications of the conventional pictorial representations of the signs, symbolism that has existed since the Hellenistic age. The entire series is an astrological learning experience.”
Canada Post

Uranus in Aries & Neptune in Pisces

Pioneering a Revolution- Uranus' Aries Ingress,
by Kelly Lee Phipps: Divine Inspiration Astrology

Neptune in Pisces, by Adrian Duncan:
Adrian's Articles

The Great Walls- Largest Structures in the Universe

From The Daily Galaxy:

“Just as a fish may be barely aware of the medium in which it lives and swims, so the microstructure of empty space could be far too complex for unaided human brains."
~Sir Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and physicist

From Images 108

Our known Hubble length universe contains hundreds of millions of galaxies that have clumped together, forming super clusters and a series of massive walls of galaxies separated by vast voids of empty space.

Great Wall: The most vast structure ever is a collection of superclusters a billion light years away extending for 5% the length of the entire observable universe. It is theorized that such structures as the Great Wall form along and follow web-like strings of dark matter that dictates the structure of the Universe on the grandest of scales. Dark matter gravitationally attracts baryonic matter, and it is this normal matter that astronomers see forming long, thin walls of super-galactic clusters.

If it took God one week to make the Earth, going by mass it would take him two quintillion years to build this thing- far longer than science says the universe has existed, and it's kind of fun to have those two the other way around for a change. Though He could always omnipotently cheat and say "Let there be a Sloan Great Wall."

The Great Wall is a massive array of astronomical objects named after the observations which revealed them, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. An eight year project scanned over a quarter of the sky to generate full 3-D maps of almost a million galaxies. Analysis of these images revealed a huge panel of galaxies 1.37 billion light years long, and even the pedantic-sounding .07 is six hundred and sixty billion trillion kilometers. This is science precisely measuring made-up sounding numbers.

Sloane_9: This isn't the only wall out there- others exist, all with far greater lengths than width or depth, actual sheets of galaxies forming some of the most impressive anythings there are. And these walls are only a special class of galactic filaments, long strings of matter stretched between mind-breaking expanses of emptiness.

Some of these elongated super clusters have formed a series of walls, one after another, spaced from 500 million to 800 million light years apart, such that in one direction alone, 13 Great Walls have formed with the inner and outer walls separated by less than seven billion light years.

Recently, cosmologists have estimated that some of these galactic walls may have taken from 80 billion to 100 billion, to 150 billion years to form in a direct challenge to current age estimates of the age of the Universe following the Big Bang.

The huge Sloan Great Wall spans over one billion light years. The Coma cluster (image above) is one of the largest observed structures in the Universe, containing over 10,000 galaxies and extending more than 1.37 billion light years in length.

Current theories of "dark energy" and "great attractors" have been developed to explain why a created universe did not spread out uniformly at the same speed and in the same spoke-like directions as predicted by theory. But as Sean Carroll of the Moore Center for Theoretical Cosmology and Physics at Cal Tech is fond of saying, "We don't have a clue."

Britain’s Astronomer Royal, Lord Rees, says some of the cosmos’s biggest mysteries, like the Big Bang and even the nature of our own self awareness, might never be resolved. Rees, who is also President of the Royal Society, says that a correct basic theory of the universe might be present, but may be just too tough for human beings’ brains to comprehend."