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Dear Friend and Reader,
Today marks the opening of the Olympic Games, and the Friday edition of Planet Waves Astrology News is all over it.
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Ling Ling and Hsing Hsing, giant pandas given to the United States by China during Nixon’s 1972 visit. This was widely held as proof that China is a civilized country.
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Eric wrote a brilliant article this week (not a surprise), looking at the emergence of China as a world leader — leading with both grandeur and sweat-shop labor, with fear and the possibility of military violence, and also with pandas: giving the global community a sense of the country’s civility.
Eric’s lead article also discusses the astrology and numerology behind the Games’ opening time: 8:08:08pm on 8/8/08 (Aug. 8, 2008). Here’s a sneak peek:
So the question we are faced with is: is China going to be feeling its holy oats, and need to prove to the world that it’s a great big grownup and pick on the kids? Or are the geeks in command going to be smart enough to leave protesters alone? Are they gonna be cool cops, or mean cops? Are they going to be slick enough to stop the terrorism that every wannabe yokel fanatic, and the larger sinister organizations and Dick Cheney himself wishes they could pull off? We shall soon see.
But let’s do our part and keep the light around this extravaganza.
A Little Creative Numerology
Now let’s consider the numerology of 8. The number 8 is plastered all over this event, including the date and the time, and I’ll be gosh darned if it’s not in a time zone called 8E…
This 8 factor feels like a facet of Saturn on the descendent. Saturn can be a materializing force, and it can compel us to face reality. It can represent discipline, and it can represent a desire for total control. Whatever Saturn or the number 8 represent in our current environment, we will be getting a clear look at them in the next few weeks, and we will know what we’re seeing.
There’s also a special Olympic article from Judith Gayle, the weekly horoscope and an extra article on the first Olympic games, posted below, gratis.
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Take care, and happy Friday,
Games of the I Olympiad: First of the Modern Era
By Eric Francis
THERE ARE always a bunch of Roman numerals in front of the Olympic games informing which one we’re up to, and I was wondering when the first one happened. Before long, I learned that after a 1,500 year break, a Frenchman named Pierre de Coubertin got an Olympic revival project off the ground. It took two years and the first games opened in Athens (it was a Greek tradition to begin with) on April 6, 1896. Jesus Wiki informs us that the International Olympic Committee was also established in this process.
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The Modern Olympic Games were inaugurated in
Athens in 1896. |
This seemed like a cool chart to give a whirl. The time of the opening ceremony appears to be unrecorded. Even Nick Dagan Best didn’t know it. So I used noon, and it came out interesting. Here it is. Behold Jupiter in Cancer rising and the Aquarius Moon in the descendent. These are two cool symbols: one that says “the world is our community” and another that says “all of us here.”
The first games began during two notable conjunctions: Neptune conjunct Pluto, which occurs less than once per century; and Saturn conjunct Uranus, which occurs about twice per century. The games were on the threshold of the 20th century both astrologically and ideologically, and have become one of the more enduring institutions of our lifetimes.
One interesting thing in this chart is Mars. Mars is the planet of warriors and athletes, and it is conjunct Pallas Athene, the asteroid of politics. So we have an interesting image of sports becoming a kind of political event, as well as aggression being intellectualized and routed through a friendly medium, the games.
This conjunction is square Uranus in Scorpio. The future has something else in mind. The 20th century, through most of which the games flourished, was the scene of unmitigated, nearly nonstop war. Indeed, the games have only been canceled three times — once during World War I and twice during World War II (1916, 1940 and 1944). They will be cancelled three times for World War III and indefinitely for World War IV.
If you are a minor planet freak, you might enjoy this summary of the synastry comparing Beijing 2008 and Athens 1896 (all within 1 degree), calculated by Tracy Delaney at Serennu.com.
Beijing Borasisi conjunct Athens Ceres! Tracy says that this “says it all.” [I’m going to guess she means that we’re taking some form of imaginary nourishment from the event. Borasisi is about the power of belief and Ceres is about nourishment. It’s all about what we believe, be it true or not. Sweatshops? What sweatshops? Comments in brackets are mine. –efc]
Beijing Hylonome (Sag) and Pallas-Kassandra (Gem) square Athens Nodes. Says it all again. [This worries me a little. Hylonome is about self-inflicted injuries and these games would seem to hinge on that idea. I’m not talking about sprained ankles, either.]
Beijing Mars opposite Athens Venus. [I read somewhere that they are running tests on some athletes to determine their sex, that is, to make sure it’s really all girls on the girls team.]
Beijing Uranus conjunct Athens Venus. [Sounds like a party.]
Beijing Chiron-Nodes-Damocles square Athens Saturn. [Sounds rebellious.]
Beijing Neptune square Athens Uranus. [Sounds really really confused.]
Beijing Mercury opposite Athens Mars. [Sounds like a good argument, fortunately they time the races with atomic clocks these days.]
Beijing Icarus conjunct Athens Jupiter. [This sounds like a really really really good time. Icarus is about peak experiences and Jupiter is about a lot of something. However since this is in Capricorn, we’re not exactly gonna be backstage for ZZ Top.]
Beijing Chaos-Hygiea conjunct Athens Pluto. [This sounds like there needs to be a psychiatric unit as well as a first aid station.]
Beijing Uranus-Achilles-Sphinx conjunct Athens Eris. [Eris has a long history in Greece, as long as the Trojan Wars plus a few millennia. But if I tried to figure out what a Uranus-Achilles-Sphinx conjunction meant, besides being really mysterious and insecure, I would be here all night.]
Beijing Venus on Athens South Nodes. [This at least is an echo of some of the spirit of the of the original games.]
Today’s Oracle takes us to the Scorpio weekly of Feb 21, 2003
(The Oracle is a random daily selection from among 10,000 horoscopes written by Eric Francis)
For such a daring person, you typically live rather cautiously, as if you’re always being watched by some spiritual entity that is weighing the karmic implications of your every move. However, key cosmic messengers have decreed that you must now throw caution to the four winds. I speak mainly of caution in the emotional region of your life, which is where you will be seeking your greatest freedom for the foreseeable future. And that freedom will come at the price of simply daring. You may have noticed that, for some reason you have not identified, you feel a little more solid and confident in who you are these days, like a new era of personal history has begun. It is true; but take small steps and first acknowledge that you are on your feet.
Friday 08 August 2008
Mercury (25+ Leo) square Admetos (25+ Taurus)
Venus (2+ Virgo) septile Atlantis (23+ Libra)
Atlantis (23+ Libra) opposite 1992 QB1 (23+ Aries Rx)
Venus (2+ Virgo) semisquare Sisyphus (17+ Libra)
Sun (16+ Leo) semisquare M87 (1+ Libra)
Mercury (26+ Leo) septile Kronos (4+ Cancer)
Mercury (26+ Leo) septile Sisyphus (17+ Libra)
Mars (23+ Virgo) quincunx Neptune (23+ Aquarius Rx)
Juno (13+ Sagittarius Rx) quintile M87 (1+ Libra) – Near Miss Only
Juno stations direct (13+ Sagittarius)
Venus (2+ Virgo) quintile Psyche (14+ Scorpio)
Eros (23+ Leo) opposite Neptune (23+ Aquarius Rx)
Mercury (26+ Leo) trine Galactic Center (26+ Sagittarius)
First Quarter Moon – Sun (16+ Leo) square Moon (16+ Scorpio)