© 23 September 2001 Clive Richard Weeks
I write this, with the world potentially on the brink of war following the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on September 11th this year — an event that can scarcely have failed to touch a single soul. Even a week and 1/2 later, I am still deeply shocked by the events, and feel sympathy for the untold human loss. I think no one who seeks a true spiritual path could support the actions of the terrorists.
But despite the horrors, and the personal tragedies of this event, enlightened souls everywhere are called upon to rise above the petty anger of revenge, and seek solutions that are effective, without perpetuating the cycle of violence, as has happened so often in the past, and may yet happen again in the near future.
This is confirmed when one looks at the astrology of the times, particularly with reference to the Natal chart of the USA, a Cancer country with Sagittarius rising. One of the influences we are presently experiencing is a Saturn-Pluto opposition. To put this in context, the last time this occurred was in about 1965 when the Vietnam war was escalated. The time before that was around 1931 shortly after the 1929 wall street crash and around the time that the Nazi party came to prominence.
Additionally, Mars (currently in the USA’s first house) is opposing a Stellium (a grouping of planets) in the 7th house including Venus, Jupiter and the Sun. Mars of course rules, amongst other things, war and aggression! With the Sun involved, this is indicative of the need for some kind of violent release.
Pluto is the destroyer of worlds (both physical and psychological). It represents Death, Decay, Putrefaction, Transformation and ultimately the Rebirth arising from these. This is not a gentle process and, if necessary, Pluto will destroy what is to make way for what is to be. The person or nation being affected by this process is better off going along with the change, rather than trying to fight it.
Saturn is the archetype of the stern disciplined old man who takes the view that if you want something you will have to work hard for it, accepting limitations and sometimes having to bear great responsibility. Whereas Pluto is about transformation — albeit at times brutal — Saturn is about limits. Saturn can cut off your hopes and dreams and say "no", usually when there is a hard lesson that needs to be learned.
The opposition is all about external and internal conflict. But more than this, the opposition brings out through external conflicts, that which is internally unresolved. One of the most common features of an opposition is that we see and possibly hate in others, that which we are in fact guilty of, and perhaps subconsciously hate, in ourselves. This is called projection.
In support of this, the similarities between the rhetoric coming from both sides of the current situation is striking! Many of the terrorists and some Muslim leaders are talking of a Jihad, or Holy War on the USA. George W. Bush in one of his addresses referred to the Crusade against terrorism. Of course a crusade is a Holy war. And while many Americans are pointing out the extremes of Islamic fundamentalism, the fact is that the "Bible-belt" in middle America is one of the most fundamentalist places in the world, such that they banned the teaching of the theory of evolution in many schools. So the phenomenon of Projection is clearly to be seen in the current situation.
Having said that, the Saturn-Pluto opposition is a powerful force that is now operating in everyone’s personal chart, and we must all be vigilant to uncover our own personal projections that may be manifested during this time — it does not affect only countries.
Returning to the United States, Pluto (Transformation, often forced) is presently on the USA’s ascendant (their interface to the world), while Saturn in Gemini is in the Seventh house of the USA’s open enemies. Interestingly, even though the attack was open, the identities of the perpetrators remain somewhat clouded (indicated by Pluto being just inside the 12th house of secret enemies at the time of the attack). Also of interest is that Saturn is in Gemini (ruling shorter journeys and communications). After the attack, all domestic airline travel in the USA was grounded, with many airlines now in trouble. Transport around New York was disrupted. The internet has been extremely slow with a new virus currently causing problems. And locally Ansett has had problem after problem with seemingly every action by those involved making things worse, rather than better.
The opposition is a relational transit, and in relationships you can never change the other person directly. You can only change yourself. If the USA wishes to learn the lessons of this transit, they must look beyond mere revenge — which would surely only create Martyrs. They must look within, to try and understand why they are so hated in some parts of the world. They must accept responsibility for the deaths of many innocent people as the direct result of their foreign policy. They must review and change many of those policies. They must try to be less the overbearing mother (Cancer) of the world.
The signs at present are not good, and I think it will be a slow process. But if the USA can look inwards and learn their limitations, and admit the mistakes of the past, the doors of transformation will open, not just for them as a nation, but for the whole world.
In conclusion, I must stress that in making the above statements I am in no way USA bashing, or making light of the fact that the USA has been the victim in the recent atrocities. Rather I believe that the USA is capable of acting with maturity and responsibility in this situation. The ball is now firmly in their court, as the next action in this "War against Terrorism" will most likely be theirs. The onus is on the USA to act with humility, for the sake of justice and not for the sake of revenge - this is one thing that the terrorists have shown they will not do.
