What might it look like if the god of war reversed his stance even while the drums seem to be beating louder?
Here’s one illustration, mentioned today on Democracy Now!: Eight retired U.S. military and intelligence officials have signed an open letter to President Obama urging him to say no to war with Iran. The letter was published as a full-page ad in The Washington Post on Monday. Signatories included Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Paul Pillar, a former CIA national intelligence officer.
Planet Waves has covered the Mars retrograde mostly in terms of how it effects us personally. Here we have a mix of personal and political: clearly these generals feel strongly enough about impending war with Iran to make a public, collective statement. At this point in its retrograde, Mars is working into a trine with Pluto in Capricorn and an opposition with Pallas Athene in Pisces. We have the war impulse/warrior being turned ‘against itself’ or inward, courtesy of the retrograde. These former generals — one variety of modern-day warrior — are instead aiming to serve the greater good of humanity, apropos of Virgo.
In a trine with Pluto in Capricorn the flow of energy functions to facilitate some disruption of, or attempt to dismantle, the institution of war or government’s traditional role in war-making. Yet Mars is applying to an opposition with Pallas in Pisces — a feminine warrior archetype in a feminine sign. The drive to act possessed by these former strategists (the eight retired military and intelligence officials) is in negotiations with a more creative expression of the strategic impulse. Hence a full-page letter in a prominent newspaper rather than, say, staging a coup.
Also, the letter published yesterday, with Mercury conjunct Uranus and Vesta on the Aries Point. Not only does this sort of communication fall well within Mercury’s scope, but in yesterday’s Daily Astrology, we mentioned the likelihood of ‘surprising’ bright ideas. Add the Aries Point, and the personal does indeed become clearly political and collective. As for Vesta, hopefully its presence in the configuration will lend a good measure of devotion to seeing this cause through by these retired officials.
Mercury will pass over the Aries Point two more times in the coming weeks, offering the chance for these ideas to be developed in layers. Mars, too, will cover this ground again in late May after it stations direct. That will be just one month before the first exact square of Uranus and Pluto, the revolutionary impulse we’re seeing develop. At that point in May, Pallas will have left Pisces and Chiron will be the planet opposite Mars.
Eric noted in conversation, “With Mercury Rx and Uranus involved, there are actually questions; it’s fairly early. Obama isn’t the one who wants war, or not on the surface anyway. He’s asked for cooler heads to prevail. So the generals really should be writing to Republican leaders, but this was after all mostly a show.” We’ll be watching carefully for the second act of this particular show — as will the world.
Amanda: Thank you for how you tied this significant event into both the Mars and Mercury retrograde cycles with the larger picture of the cardinal square as background. The layering you referred to with regards to Mercury’s role is dandy point especially well taken.
An interesting conversation with two of my young students today: both young men (one 15, the other 18) came out against yet another war. The older one is a self-described redneck, the younger wants to join the Marine Corps. Neither of them see any rationale for doing such a thing. Nice to have them make the jump into critical thinking!
{{My secret, liberal, anti-war agenda is succeeding!!}} 😉
Thanks so much for this, Amanda.
Let us hope so. If there’s any Armageddon scenario the crazies out there would love, it would be a confrontation between Iran and Israel, which Netenyahu is pushing. He is one of the few neocons still in power.