Back in the 1980s, one of my very favorite cartoonists, Tom Toles (then at the Buffalo News) drew a map of the “Muddle East.” It had countries like Irant and Irave. Toles must have been looking at the astrological chart for Egypt when he gave it the name Edgy.
It’s the perfect description for this chart, with the very last degree of Aries rising, and two centaur planets in the house of government. Chiron in particular is pressed right against the 10th house cusp — in Capricorn, the sign of antiquity. I can hardly imagine a more fitting image for the modern government of a country that can rightly trace its roots back more than 5,000 years. Even when Egypt was ruled by other empires, it was reasonably autonomous. I believe that the Great Sphinx is the oldest architectural artifact on Earth, with its age greatly underestimated by most archeologists.
Chiron retrograde on the 10th house looks like a claim to the past, and it’s constantly being confronted by tests. The presence of Anwar Sadat, the venerated leader who was assassinated in 1981, stands as a haunting presence inside that Chiron in Capricorn, so intimate with the affairs of state — the fallen emperor.
Pholus in Aquarius is close by, directly on the North Node. This has the feeling of wild populism that was bound to burst out sooner or later — we are seeing it now. Pholus, of course, represents the uncontainable force, and in Aquarius, that’s about the people of the country. It is more than interesting that when the government tried to cut off the power to the citizens, it went for cellular phones and the Internet first — both of which are Aquarian in nature — but that Pholus only came out more powerfully.
Take a look at the Sun at 27+ Gemini. The Sun is a representative of the leader of a nation (there will be several such symbols in the chart for a country) though for Egypt the Sun is particularly poignant. It is now being squared by Uranus — the same aspect that took down Richard Nixon. And it is being trined by Chiron and Neptune, suggesting that there is a way to healing if people are interested in finding it. There always is, really, but the interest level is the variable. It’s easy to make nose and it’s difficult to run a country.
As for the role of the military: that is a 6trh house matter, and Virgo is on the 6th cusp. The Moon is right there, conjunct its own osculataing apogee (Black Moon Lilith). The Moon’s presence speaks of the reputed closeness between the Army and the people (represented by the Moon) though the relationship is not stable. There is something two-faced here. Virgo’s ruler is Mercury, and this we find in Cancer (again, a reference to the people) and square Neptune and Saturn. Mercury is making a lot of aspects, and notably it is in mutual reception to the Moon — they occupy one another’s signs and are in aspect. It’s almost as if the military plays any role that is convenient at the moment.
For now the situation is entirely up for grabs, however, with a powerful New Moon on Wednesday, there is almost certainly going to be some enormous turn of events right around that time. The New Moon is up in the 11th house — it looks like the populist view will prevail, for now. With Jupiter coming up on Eris, we shall see if yet another Muslim theocracy is not born out of the chaos.
Six Al Jazeera journalists arrested and released but their seized cameras retained by Egyptian military: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/2011131123648291703.html
I just watched this video on one of the sites I visit on a regular basis, The Political Carnival, and it echoes the energy of that beautiful photograph posted by GG down thread. It is very stirring to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=h5GSfSRY2PQ
It’s no longer the times they are a-changing.
It’s the times they *have* changed.
Oh and just to add; my friend and I went to a gathering on Saturday of Toronto’s Egyptian community and I saw someone go round with a bag of cookies, offering them to everyone there, including the police.
Recalling the Lunar Eclipse of December at 29 Gemini 20, conjunct the south node at 2+ Cancer and Hades at 29+ Gemini, would verify this chart’s validity as it was only 2 degrees from the natal Sun. With the eclipse chart south node conjunct the natal chart Mars there is a suggestion it is time to let go, although a clingy Cancer Mars probably would disagree. The eclipse chart’s conjuction of Uranus and Jupiter in Pisces squaring the natal chart’s Sun-Mars describes the sudden, unexpected and remarkable size of the demonstrations taking place, as well as the sense of victimization (Pisces) of the participants. Hades might explain the shocking revelation of “Garbage City”.
As the natal chart’s Moon is conjunct the U.S Sibly chart’s Neptune, Americans have a deep empathy with the people of Egypt. Egypt’s natal Moon trine it’s very visable natal Chiron has emphasized the woundedness of its people for all the world to see. Tragic.
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It isn’t all that confusing that the military is moving in to support the demonstrators. Without his generals, Mubarak is out. It is a rather peaceful revolution if you think about it, since so many minds are in the same place.
Graffiti Gram:
That picture is one of my favorites from the recent news. Makes you think of the peaceable rallies Filipinos were having in confrontation with their friends and family in Marcos’ army during the revolution of 1986.
In case anyone is looking for it that vid gives Mubarak’s birthday as May 4 1928.
A friend just sent me this, looks like a little less than an hour video recent history (the last 50 years):
http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/general/2008/12/200812319221110170.html
The “kissing resistance” — this is the best story out of Egypt so far 😉
http://theatlantic.tumblr.com/post/2979347100/canisfamiliaris-the-most-subversive-protest-of
One confusing element is the behavior of the military. Reports seem to indicate the military protected protesters from the police in some cases, though today other articles talked about a military “show of force” indicating a harder line was about to be taken by Mubarak’s government to contain the revolt.
This clip says the Minister of Defense has joined the protesters, or did at one point today:
http://www.hindu.com/2011/01/31/stories/2011013160250100.htm
“….Mr. Mubarak’s attempts to project a united administration packed with hardline personnel from the security establishment appeared short-lived. On Saturday, he appointed Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force chief, and Omar Suleiman, the long serving intelligence head, as Vice-President.
But cracks in the establishment appeared to have visibly widened on Sunday, with local media reporting that Mohamed Tantawi, Minister of Defence, had joined protesters at Tahrir Square. Mr. Tantawi is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Armed Forces.
Despite their focus on the country’s political future, the protesters continued to confront organised looting, which has targeted residential colonies, institutions and repositories of Egyptian antiquity. Opposition leader Ayman Nour of the Ghad Party said the looting was state-sponsored and blamed Interior Ministry personnel….”
There has been a great deal of speculation over the man who was widely expected to succeed Hosni Mubarak. Gamal Mubarak, the president’s younger son, is thought to have fled to London after protests began in Egypt. At the Egyptian Embassy in London, protesters have been demonstrating for a third day.
See video