A Greek Tragedy

There is something profoundly apocalyptic in tone when the cradle of Western culture experiences the first paroxysms of economic collapse; a short foray into the astrology of the national map of Greece is therefore potentially illuminating. This will not be an exhaustive study, however, the Cardinal transits which we are currently experiencing are fraught with tension which will have profound and long-lasting impacts upon individuals and nations alike, and certain conclusions may be drawn for Greece, and too for other nations.

The Greek nativity of 1822 (above) is based upon the most consensually accepted of the posited birth-times for the independent nation, and in my view, it is accurate, at least with the retrospective view of the effects of the transiting Cardinal points upon the map. Having said this, the Greek War of Independence lasted many years; the chart above represents the first upheavals of the independence movement, and there is a second map, some years subsequently in 1830 which pinpoints the official recognition of Greece as an independent state by other nations and I shall not include this also, although both appear to be especially vulnerable to the current transits. It might be said that they each represent different perspectives on the Greek nation. When all is said and done however the independence movement was born in the last months of 1821 and the early days of 1822, and that birth signalled the beginning of a process which was to ultimately result in an independent Greek nation-state.

So to the astrology of Greece itself and how that is impacted by the transitory situation. I cannot adequately underestimate what a devastating year Greece looks set to experience:

• Mercury – Pluto and Neptune – Chiron are clearly vulnerable to the Cardinal transits at this time. There is a great deal of investigative energy here, trying to get to the bottom of causes, to see what peoples’ agendas are and there may well be a serious inquisition to try to work out who to blame. There isn’t much sympathy in the air either.
• Pluto makes a series of deeply stressful contacts during the latter part of 2009 and well into 2010. The process began with Pluto conjunct Neptune (5 passes from March 09 until October 10). This of course represents a very powerful impetus to transform one’s world-view and fundamental life-philosophy. Greece is being asked to change its perspective and find something other than the base stuff to devote its energy to. Whilst this might sound like a terrifying imperative, it’s a lesson the entire world has to learn, so Greece is in the arguably enviable position of having to do it first. That’s probably a good thing in the long run. One effect of Pluto transits to Neptune is that Pluto’s transformative power operates on Neptune’s obfuscation of reality, and illusions are forcibly dissolved. In an individual nativity, you might say that under this influence it is time to wake up, stop living in cloud cuckoo land and start to get real about what is really important. Another effect is that the principles of idealism and depth are combined, so it is no longer possible to live for superficial values and beliefs and with Neptune configured, money is a decidedly unstable objective. Greece (and eventually the rest of the world) is being forced to wake up and realise that as a nation they have been participating in a mass delusion, life is not about money, but rather it ought to be lived for deeper and more spiritual reasons.
• What you will immediately notice also is that Pluto makes a near instantaneous conjunction to Uranus, the first of three passes was formed on January 11th of this year and these will finish in November. Pluto conjunct Uranus foretells sudden disruptions, deep instability and a requirement for rather abrupt transformation. The general energy of this combination though is quite undisciplined, people will rebel against the restrictions that are imposed upon them and your average man or woman on the street in Greece will likely not take kindly to internationally or government imposed austerity measures. However it is handled though, this transit is a fast-track to a more mature and sustainable way of life.
• On February 19th just gone, Pluto squared Neptune by Solar Arc. This is really a big hit of the Pluto – Neptune conjunction being experienced by mundane transit and it promises a very profound and not remotely easy change of perspective. The same theme of stripping away the illusory is intimated, but with the square it is quite distressing and brutal and with the Solar Arc it is absolutely writ large. It represents a rude awakening for Greece, and one that most Greeks probably have no desire to undergo.
• On October 20th, four days after the final Pluto – Neptune contact by transit, Pluto squares Uranus by Solar Arc. Pluto square Uranus is profoundly revolutionary, so don’t be surprised if there is another Greek revolution at this time, the Greek people will quite possibly take to the streets to protest about their situation and they may well blame the govern ment that took them into the European single currency (and there’s more on blame to come).
• On May 2nd Pluto squares the Greek Atlantis. There are a few ways of looking at this, but certainly, Atlantis is the civilisation that disappeared from the face of the earth, and this might describe quite succinctly the way the Greek people begin to feel at this time. There is also the potential that Greece might lose some measure of self-determination as this occurs, especially in financial and economic terms.
• Pluto contacts the Uranus/Neptune halfsum by Solar Arc on June 20th. This portends being at the mercy of external conditions due to an inability to take a stand, the abandonment of resistance, great losses, calamities, catastrophes. Bear in mind that Pluto is mundanely transiting the Uranus – Neptune midpoint throughout 2010 as well. Pluto is simultaneously quincunxing the asteroid 140 Siwa throughout the year. In broad terms, mundane quincunxes signify periods of innate difficulty because problems do not have straightforward solutions. Aspects between Pluto and Siwa are powerfully destructive, and this aspect suggests that financial wipeout occurs because solutions cannot be made to fit.
• Having said this, Pluto is quindecile radix Panacea on December 14th, by Solar Arc, so a solution becomes a matter of life and death at this time. Often, with this obsessive aspect and the nature of the combining energies, the cure is actually more drastic than the problem and the patient ends up dead as a result.

Now if we move along, we see that transiting Uranus is conjunct natal Pluto on October 11th! I see that without a shadow of a doubt, Greece will undergo enormous upheaval and probable outright financial collapse in October of this year; of course it might hang in there, fighting for its economic life into December, but then the game will be up. Here, without going into too much tiring work for me are the crucial connections in October:

01/10: Pallas cnj Sisyphus by SA – Interminable accounting, working out who is to pay.
01/10: Saturn sq Diana by Tr: Harsh rules are imposed to limit evasiveness.
04/10: Saturn sq Icarus by Tr: Attempts to escape from harsh measures.
04/10: Chiron qx Minerva: The pain of accounting! Legal sanctions are imposed.
05/10: Neptune pll Venus by Tr: The economy is all at sea!
05/10: Uranus sq Mercury: Heated discussions, arguments in the open, sudden dissent.
06/10: Uranus = Moon/Mars: sudden anger, loss of control, open fighting.
07/10: Sun qx Node by SP: A falling out between govt & people, overthrow of authority.
08/10: Uranus = Mercury/Pluto: fanaticism, breakdown of society.
11/10: Uranus cnj Pluto by Tr: revolution! Upheaval! Major collapse and change!
11/10: Moon = Saturn/Pluto by pll: the tragic destiny of the people.
13/10: Saturn = Jupiter/Pluto: Inability to progress, difficulties.
14/10: Saturn = Mercury/Jupiter: the breaking off of negotiations, talks collapse.
14/10: Neptune = Saturn/Pluto by SA: Falsehood, lies & fraud are rife, confusion reigns.
16/10: Pluto cnj Neptune by Tr: a necessity to change perspective, transformation.
20/10: Pluto sq Uranus by SA: major upheavals and disruptions, a change in govt?
23/10: Saturn sq Sun by Tr: the hard work begins in building a new society.

Does this sound incredible? Fantastic? We shall see. Good luck to the Greek people of course!

I am currently working very hard on several projects, writing an ebook (on Orcus) and completing nativities as usual as well as making time for charitable work. I have in mind a few more articles but of course, they are time-consuming and require much research. If you have enjoyed this article then please consider making a small donation so that I can carry on with writing more.

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