Next weekend I will go to upstate New York to celebrate my son’s graduation from college. There is simply no time to be writing right now, so I will be taking a vacation from the blog for a couple of weeks. The information in recent posts will still be relevant for a while.

I will be back soon.

Nancy

Then came the tragedy of Newtown, and, to squeeze a drop of lemonade from the ashes of that horror, we latched onto the promise of some reasonable gun legislation at long last slipping through the paralyzing clutches of the gun lobby. A fierce momentum built around the country for action, culminating in polls of 90% support for universal background checks.

Then another calamity hit: the Boston Marathon bombing. Despite our profound national distress as we witnessed the destruction and the grief, there was some small solace in how quickly the suspects were found and their brief reign of terror forever terminated.

As we move into May, however, the exhaustive, never-ending Republican obsession with blocking anything touched by President Obama, including even gun legislation supported by an overwhelming majority of the country, make it blazingly clear that the noxious, rage-filled collective psychosis on the Right is sucking the lifeblood out of a once-vital Republic. The increasingly debilitated national mood is suffocating in a morass of hopelessness and vague, pervasive angst. It is not terrorism we most fear but our own flaccid and pathetic inability to simply stand up to the many challenges we face. The Congress elected to do the People’s Business, instead, only does its own, and cedes all of its power to its self-serving corporate overlords and its most crazed, delusional partisan supporters.

The current malaise has been slowly building for years and now spikes for a week here and there when we are not distracted by the latest dramatic spectacle to dominate the news cycle.  For decades, the US progressed Saturn has been very slowly retrograding into a trine with natal Venus (3Cancer06). Generally, a trine is seen as a beneficial aspect, but disciplined, severe Saturn, even in a harmonious relationship with comfort-seeking and affectionate Venus, can bring a somber, sometimes melancholic quality into the experience. This progression is now almost exact and will reach its most potent expression by the end of 2015. It provides the backdrop of the more serious, cautious, and sometimes dejected mood of recent years and should be watched carefully for triggering planetary activity, in particular in November 2013 when the US progressed Moon will conjunct progressed Saturn (3Scorpio11) and in early December 2013 and briefly during the spring and again in the summer of 2014 when transiting Saturn will thrice cross 18Scorpio06 in a sesquiquadrate with natal Venus. These configurations point to some brief periods of difficult and sorrowful events in the US. The most recent example came at the end of October 2012 during the transit of Saturn to progressed US Saturn which brought with it Hurricane Sandy and the havoc, destruction, and loss that came in its wake.

Over the past month, there have been several minor Saturn transits in the US chart that have cumulatively heightened the nation’s recent irritability and negativity. Saturn was quincunx the US Uranus from April 4 to April 19, acting as a negative trigger to the volatile US progressed Sun square to natal Uranus (8Gemini55), and complicit in the unexpected and shattering terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon on April 15. Saturn crossed President Obama’s natal Neptune (8Scorpio36) at the same time, pointing to the deep distress he experienced from this event. These were some of the same aspects that came in December 2012 during and just after the massacre at Sandy Hook.

From April 26 through May 8, Saturn has been semisquare the US Neptune (22Virgo25), as well as semisquare President Obama’s Mars (22Virgo35). In the US chart, the 9^th house Neptune describes the very idealistic and, at times, over- glorified attitude Americans have about their system of government, the meaning of their democracy, and their role in the world. A stressful aspect from Saturn to this point will bring deep disillusionment in the reality of modern America, a struggle to believe in a hopeful future, and an upsetting feeling of angst. Although this crossing lasts less than two weeks, it comes at a time when many have begun to wonder if the American experiment in democracy is unalterably broken. There is a growing despair over the inability of Congress to work with the president to tackle the country’s significant problems. The simultaneous Saturn semisquare to Obama’s Mars also points to restrictions on his capacity to move forward on issues of importance to him. This disheartening aspect returns briefly in late August and early September.

As of May 6, transiting Saturn has begun moving into its second crossing of the square with the US North Node (6Leo36) through May 21, just as Saturn also moves to sesquiquadrate US Mars (21Gemin23), and the progressed US Moon moves into a square with natal Pluto (27Capricorn33) from May 7 through June 7. This combination points to growing and acute stress and anxiety in May and early June about our interactions with foreign nations and about escalating tensions in the world. From the vantage point of today, it seems likely this aspect relates at least in part to the worsening conflict in Syria and the ramifications of Israel’s recent bombing of targets inside of that country. The Saturn/US Mars aspect suggests the US will be extremely cautious in getting more actively involved, although the transit of Jupiter across US Mars from May 14 to May 19 may bring some brief, but heightened military assertiveness.

As noted in previous articles, the Inaugural chart for this four-year term, as well as the aspects impacting the US chart, point to a very tumultuous period of considerable upheaval. Nonetheless, the coming pockets of turmoil and difficulty will bring a great deal of potential for an increase in understanding and growth, as well as for a renewal of purpose toward more healthy goals. Many opportunities will be there to find a stronger, more enlightened, and more vital path forward in numerous areas that today seem quite stuck in the mud. The question is whether we can take our disgruntled mood and the awakening inherent in the rousing events to come and use them to energize a real transformation for the future.

As I have mentioned repeatedly, we are now in the midst of the multi-year Uranus/Pluto square which is bringing significant upheaval throughout the world, forcing dramatic and chaotic change in many nations, and agitating people to push through perceived limitations and fight for a new era. The most recent crossing of this aspect was in mid-September 2012, when the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked by militants, and numerous spontaneous uprisings happened across the Middle East and beyond in response to an anti-Islamic video.  It is useful to remember the intensity of this Uranus/Pluto energy as the next crossing begins to unfold in a few days’ time. It will be at its most potent from May 4 through May 21, and possibly strengthened as it begins to wane by transiting Mars from May 23 to May 25.

The US chart during May suggests an increase in tension, as well as a feelings of caution and heavy responsibility, likely in relation to a foreign power or powers. This is due to the Saturn transit square to US North Node (6Leo36) from May 6 through May 21, which runs essentially concurrent with the Uranus/Pluto square. In addition, the progressed US Moon will be square to natal Pluto beginning on May 7 and waxing through June 7, slowly dissipating thereafter. This aspect points to a build-up of anxiety and upset over some issue among the US population during this time.

Moving on to the chart of Bashir Assad (using noon), we find his long spate of vicious and relentless aggression over the past two years clearly described. Beginning in September 2011 and continuing through March 2014, his progressed Mars (18 Sagittarius) has been successively crossing the square to his progressed Pluto (17Virgo41), his progressed Uranus (18Virgo05), and, finally, his natal Sun (18Virgo24).  This is an extraordinarily belligerent and explosive configuration that suggests he will not stop fighting, unless he is mortally wounded, until sometime shortly after March 2014, once progressed Mars begins to separate from its square to the Sun.

Of significance in the immediate future is the transit of Jupiter across 18 Gemini which will be triggering this volatile and dangerous configuration from April 29 through May 5. Potentially reckless, initially successful, and extremely brutal attacks are possible during this time. The recent stories of sarin gas haunt us with dark possibilities.

Using July 17, 2000, as the date Bashir Assad assumed office, we find natal Venus (4Leo58) opposite natal Neptune (5Aquarius27).  This is significant due to the coming Saturn station that will square this opposition from May 22 through August 3, suggesting a very difficult time for the regime when it is forced to let go of its delusions (Neptune) and feels itself significantly restrained.

Very tentatively using the January 1, 1944, midnight, birth chart for Syria, based on when it received full independence from France, we find a long transiting station of Pluto on the Sun (9Capricorn21) from late June through October 2013, which points to a significant power struggle for control of the country. This aspect has been active since February 2012 but will be greatly intensified by the coming station.

It may, however, be that the final coup de grace for Bashir Assad comes in the early months of 2014. The Ascendant in the 1/1/1944 Syrian chart is given as 13Libra19, in exact square to the US Sun (13Cancer19). Both will be hit by the combined force of Uranus, Pluto, Jupiter, and Mars crossing 13 degrees of the cardinal signs in April 2014, with Pluto stationary at that degree in Capricorn from February through May. This highly-charged configuration points to the potential for a huge clash of civilizations and a momentous battle around that time. This is likely to involve the US and also suggests a chaotic and transformative period in Syria. Moreover, the chart for the birth of the Assad family regime, given as November 13, 1970, 6:15 AM, will have Saturn crossing its Sun/Jupiter/Ascendant conjunction between 17 and 21 Scorpio and opposing its Moon/Saturn conjunction at 18 and 19 Taurus, from late November 2013 through mid-January 2014 and again from mid-April through late June 2014.  It may be that these aspects, from late 2013 into the Spring of 2014, point to the long-awaited death knell for the House of Assad.

The carnage of Sandy Hook in December 2012 came with the first crossing of Saturn to Obama’s Neptune (8Scorpio36), a transit of deep grief and upset. At the same time, Pluto, Saturn, and Jupiter were aspecting US Uranus (8Gemini55), triggering the progressed Sun (8Pisces) square to US Uranus, and bringing sudden, powerful and disturbing circumstances that jolted Americans out of their somnolent attitudes, in that case regarding gun violence.

The second Saturn crossing of Obama’s Neptune, from April 9 through April 23, has brought with it a host of very stressful and upsetting circumstances that have weighed heavily upon the president. These feelings of grief and burden are being exacerbated by his progressed Moon square to progressed Saturn from April 11 through May 7.  In the US chart during this time, from April 4 to April 19, transiting Saturn (8Scorpio55) made its second pass triggering the progressed Sun square to US Uranus, again bringing sudden and upsetting circumstances that rouse the country. The Sun/Mars conjunction from April 13 through April 18 described the exceptionally violent and explosive nature of these days. In addition, during the building dragnet mounted by police, FBI, and the military to catch the terrorists, the transiting Sun and Mars were squaring US Pluto (27Capricorn33), pointing to the intensified focus of US power to defeat an enemy.

There will be one more crossing of Saturn to President Obama’s Neptune (8Scorpio36), from September 6 through September 18, 2013. During much of this time, the transiting Node will be conjunct transiting Saturn (exact on September 16 at 8Scorpio35), stressing the feelings of grief likely during that 12-day period for some segment of the population, as well as for the president. Simultaneously, both Saturn and Pluto will be quincunx US Uranus (8Gemini55), forming a very potent yod, and again triggering the progressed Sun square to natal Uranus as that aspect becomes exact and at its peak strength. Thus, it unfortunately seems likely that the middle two weeks of September 2013 will bring another set of sudden and transformative (Uranus) circumstances that deeply stress (Saturn) both the country and the president. It will no doubt be another wake-up call about something we have been unable or unwilling to address, and the price may once again be steep.

A presidential term begins on January 20, every four years. The Inaugural chart is drawn for this moment and depicts the larger patterns that will unfold during a given administration. As the planetary relationships in that chart come to fruition by progression or are ignited by transit, we can often see when the described patterns will most starkly emerge.

During the presidency of George W. Bush, there was a marked difference between the first and second terms. His first Inaugural chart had a tight Uranus/Mercury conjunction square to Mars, and, with a slighter larger orb, square to Saturn. This extremely aggressive and obstreperous configuration described the vicious, unexpected attack of 9/11, as well as the unleashing of the two wars and the brazen domestic policies that came during that first term. The second Bush Inaugural chart, on the other hand, was steeped in very stressful Saturn aspects, pointing to the many failures that came during his second administration, including the handling of Hurricane Katrina, the incompetent prosecution of the wars, and the financial collapse.

In the same way, the two Obama Inaugural charts describe very different circumstances during the two terms. The first Obama Inaugural chart had a Sun/Mercury/Jupiter conjunction which maintained the administration’s popularity despite the ongoing recession and enabled the successful passage of several pieces of signature legislation. The ongoing financial difficulties and the intransigent resistance of Republicans were described by the Venus/Uranus conjunction opposite Saturn. Parallel configurations in the chart of President Obama and in the US chart also helped to define the unfolding situation, but the basic pattern could be discerned in the Inaugural chart.

The Inaugural chart of the second Obama administration incorporates the building energy of the Uranus/Pluto square, which is the reigning planetary aspect of this period, itself running from 2012 through 2015. This is a configuration of intense disruption to the status quo and the awakening of shifting, transformative historical currents. It heralds massive power struggles throughout the world. There may be revolutionary fervor or frenzied extremism in these movements, whether led by ardent political factions, zealous radical groups, warring sects, or fanatical terrorists. In any event, intense battles for control of political power, military gain, land, or resources are greatly energized during this period.

In the 2013 Inaugural chart, we find Uranus (5Aries14) square to Pluto (10Capricorn00) and Venus (14Capricorn27).  As Uranus moves forward, it comes to the exact square with Pluto three times, setting off the energy of the square.  We are currently in the midst of the first crossing of this configuration, from April 8 through April 27, just as the terrorist threat to the homeland re-emerges in a newly virulent form. The next crossing will be from September 20 through October 16, 2013, beginning towards the end of the treacherous two weeks in mid-September mentioned above. The following year, 2014, will bring Uranus into a square with Inaugural Venus, and 2015 will bring Pluto into a conjunction with Inaugural Venus, all of these no doubt directly involving the administration in further manifestations of the potent Uranus/Pluto tensions coming in the next few years.

The 2013 Inaugural chart also includes another potentially violent and disruptive configuration: a t-square with the Moon (19Taurus38), Mars (20Aquarius13), and the Node (23Scorpio44). This already volatile configuration is further agitated and inflamed by Uranus (5Aries14) which sits in an exact semisquare to both Mars and the Moon, and also is at their midpoint. Together, these planets point to anger, aggression, and unexpectedly violent or tumultuous events erupting at various times during the course of the second Obama term. Transiting Saturn will be triggering this configuration, likely in a very stressful way, when it thrice crosses 19-20 Scorpio: in December 2013; and in May and September 2014. The solar eclipse within minutes of the Inaugural Moon on May 10, 2013, adds yet another level of strain to that degree over the coming year. With transiting Saturn also square to Obama’s Ascendant (18Aquarius03) during the same periods, it is clear we are looking at some episodes of increased difficulty and burden for the administration. More on these at a later time.

There are times in human life when the proverbial pot is vigorously stirred, when the tectonic plates of our civilization shift, causing significant upheaval before things settle again into a new pattern. These are times of paradigm shift, when the entire definition of the geo-political reality adjusts. For a while, it may seem like we are collectively riding a runaway horse, but eventually things will calm, albeit after a period of turmoil and with a somewhat transformed institutional and cultural landscape. Personally, I am grateful that President Obama is at the helm in these turbulent times, riding the wild stallion of this Inaugural chart and negotiating the tempestuous twists and turns of the Uranus/Pluto dynamic. At this juncture, I would far rather a leader capable of deliberate and comprehensive thought, caution, and pragmatism than any of the ideologues or craven political operatives that might have been.

The biggest astrological indicator of this intensified push for gun control legislation is the progressed US Sun square to natal Uranus (8Gemini55) which began in September 2012 and will reach its peak in September 2013. This aspect brings sudden, unexpected events that awaken the country to the need for change, as well as the fervor to throw over restrictions or obsolete forms that no longer serve the common good. The Newtown horror is one example of what will likely be several sudden, transformative events over the course of this Uranian year. Hurricane Sandy, which proclaimed the relentlessness of climate change in late October 2012, was another.

As can be seen from the nation’s current mood about gun control, in addition to dramatic, and often painful, precipitating events, there are periods of building public rebellion against the status quo which also reflect the Uranus/Sun dynamic. At present, after an energetic public relations campaign, various majorities of the country support most of the issues in potential legislation, with over 90% supporting universal background checks. The strengthening of the progressed Sun/natal Uranus square by several transits from early March through April 19 points to this potent effort.

There are, however, concerns about the ultimate success of such legislation despite huge efforts from many quarters. Even if the Senate manages to pass something, the House of Representatives has become a lunatic asylum of paranoid political posturing where sane legislation, however meek, goes to die. Unfortunately, there are numerous Democratic charts, including the president’s, that show stress from Saturn transits (to 8 degrees fixed or 23 degrees mutable signs) during the second half of April. Whether this points to gun legislation being thwarted or immigration reform failing or some entirely other issue is unclear.

Should gun legislation ultimately fail despite the enormous endeavor of so many to rouse the public and the huge majorities that now support this intention,  the wake-up call from the progressed Sun square to the US natal Uranus in 2013 may well morph into something far more pressing than even the need to rein in gun violence.  If Congress cannot pass something that such a significant majority of Americans support simply because of the power of the corporate gun lobby, what does that say about our supposed democracy? Will awareness of the self-serving control exerted over our government by big-moneyed, corporate interests crystallize into an established fact in the collective psyche? The entire situation sparked by a mass shooting at an elementary school in December may prove to be an irrevocable step forward in a far greater battle. Ultimately, the country will need to decide if it still wants a government of the people, by the people, and for the people to even survive. This may prove to be more serious than even the massacre on that horrific day at Sandy Hook.

Also at present is a building Sun/Mars conjunction which will be within a one-degree orb from April 13 through April 18 from 23 to 28 Aries. This points to an increase in tension and anger in the world wherever its powerful energy is not focused into constructive channels.  Moreover, from April 10 through April 13, first Mars and then the Sun will conjunct Obama’s progressed Moon (22 Aries) and square his progressed Saturn (23Capricorn), acting as a trigger to this tense, anxious Moon/Saturn configuration. In addition, also from April 10 through April 13, while the Sun/Mars crosses 23 Aries, it will be in a semisquare with the US Uranus (8Gemini55) and the US progressed Sun (8 Pisces), acting as a trigger for this rather combustible and unpredictable aspect.

Thus, the period from April 10 through April 13 seems likely to bring some kind of sudden, unexpected and transformative event (US pr Sun/Uranus) that is also quite stressful for President Obama (Saturn/Neptune and Saturn/Moon), leaving him with a difficult and unhappy situation that goes for several weeks.

It may well be that gun legislation does not fare well under these aspects. Also in the US chart, transiting Saturn is currently quincunx natal Uranus, impeding and thwarting (Saturn) attempts at progressive (Uranus) improvements. This may account for some of the president’s upset.

However, the Sun/Mars conjunction would seem to imply something more dramatic erupting over the next several days. This could point to the situation with North Korea continuing to escalate in the immediate future, with a significant possibility of further tensions erupting in early May. In Kim Jon Un’s ascension to office chart (12/29/11 at 11:57 AM), the progressed Moon will be opposite natal Mars (19Virgo23) for all of May and triggered by a Jupiter transit from May 5 to May 9. With transiting Saturn moving to conjunct North Korea’s Node (6Scorpio11) while it squares the US Node (6Leo36) from May 6 through May 27, it seems likely tensions between the two nations will be high. The exact Uranus/Pluto square throughout most of May will also add to the inflammatory nature of any volatile situation, while the US progressed Moon square to natal Pluto (May 7 to June 7) points to increased anxiety in the US. This confluence of so many difficult configurations suggests a couple of very stressful months.

Alas for the astrologers of the world, there are several charts for North Korea and no confirmed birth year for Kim Jong Un.  Thus, the following is far more speculative than I would like. What is clear from events is that the aggression of Mars and the unpredictable and erratic qualities of Uranus are in some way predominant in recent weeks with respect to North Korea.

The various charts for the birth of North Korea include September 9, 1948, (no time given) and September 10, 1948, alternatively, at 12:01 AM, at noon, and at 8:50 PM. Of these, the one that seems to fit the best is the one for 12:01 AM on September 10, although caution is recommended in using this unverifiable chart. In the 12:01 AM chart, Uranus is conjunct the Ascendant (00Cancer) describing the erratic and defiant nature of this small, militarized dictatorship. There is also a Mars/South Node conjunction in the 5^th house in Scorpio which indicates the angry demands for attention and the proclivity for a paranoid and aggressive attitude.

All of the North Korean charts have the South Node/Mars conjunction, but only those for September 10 have the progressed South Node in a decades-long orb of an exact conjunction to natal Mars (4Scorpio00, exact in 2043 in the 12:01 AM chart).  The intensified potency of this Mars, strengthened by the progressed South Node, seems likely given recent history. Moreover, only the 12:01 AM chart has progressed Mars conjunct natal Jupiter (20Sagittarius01), peaking in mid-September 2013, and semisquare to progressed South Node (4Scorpio57), culminating in August 2013, further indicating the current tendency toward belligerence and grandiosity.

Thus, North Korea’s amplified aggressiveness is likely to continue at an exceptionally dangerous level through mid-September 2013, with a heightened period of tension from June through July when Saturn stations on North Korea’s progressed South Node and semisquares natal Jupiter and progressed Mars. This same period will also bring the Saturn station to a conjunction with Mars (5Scorpio44) in the chart of the President of South Korea Park Guen-hye (2/2/52), suggesting a long, tense, angry stalemate between the two nations.

May 2013 may bring particular stress to the US/North Korean relationship. Transiting Saturn will be square to the US Node (6Leo36) while it is conjunct the North Korean Node (6Scorpio11) through much of the month.  Moreover, the Uranus/Pluto square will again be exact from May 4 to May 21, while the US progressed Moon will be square to natal Pluto (27Capricorn33) from May 7 to June 7. In addition, Secretary of Defense Hagel (10/4/46) has Uranus opposing his Sun (10Libra54) through mid-May, Pluto square his Sun through early June, and Saturn conjunct his Mars and square his Saturn through mid-May.

It seems likely the stress level and anxiety in the US will be strong in May (progressed Moon square Pluto), particularly with respect to some of its relationships with foreign nations (transiting Saturn/Node square). Secretary Hagel will be directly involved in rapid-moving events (Uranus), but at the same time extremely cautious and restrained (Saturn to his natal Mars/Saturn square). With the exact Uranus/Pluto square building through May 21, there may be an eruption of unexpected and extreme violence somewhere in the world.  It remains to be seen if this will be a brief altercation with North Korea or some completely unexpected event elsewhere. But tensions will surely be high in May, and due to the involvement of the US Node, it would seem to involve difficulties with one or more foreign nations.

On the other hand, there were several high-profile and brutal instances of gun violence, including, but not limited to, the purposeful shooting of a toddler and his mother, a three-way murder-suicide at a marine base, and the killing of the Colorado prison chief and the subsequent fatal shootout in Texas between police and his murderer.  In other news, the long-simmering discord between the US and North Korea has suddenly escalated to a fever pitch, with North Korea now in a “state of war” against South Korea, and with its rockets on stand-by aimed at US bases in the Pacific, while US nuclear-capable bombers are newly in South Korea having just completed a training mission.

The astrological signature for all of this two-fold. The inspiring and transformative movements – calling for expanded civil rights for an oppressed minority and changing lax gun laws to meet with new, dangerous situations – are reflected in the activation of the progressed US Sun square to natal Uranus (8Gemini55). This aspect is bringing us a year of awakening to new realities, with a focus on greater freedom and civil rights, as well as the impulse to rid ourselves of that which is problematic or unfairly restrictive. It has been strongly triggered in late March through early April by a sextile from transiting Uranus (8 Aries) and by the waxing Sun/Venus conjunction (8 Aries), exact throughout the Supreme Court hearings. The Sun/Venus conjunction brought the warm celebration and joy of those hopeful for reform, while the Uranus sextile is strengthening the more general, progressive underpinnings of the moment.

The heightened aggression and threat level of the past several days derives from transiting Mars and the Sun moving to conjunct transiting Uranus and square transiting Pluto. This two-week proclivity for increased violence, accidents, high-powered storms, and power struggles will diminish after March 31.

As we move into April, President Obama is demonstrating boldness, strength and his best rhetorical skills, seen both in his speech to Israel’s youth and his speech on the 100-day anniversary of the Newtown shooting. This renewed vigor and effectiveness stems largely from the Jupiter transit sextile to his natal Sun (12Leo33), running from March 29 through April 5, which itself is under a year-long square from solar arc Mars. The final Jupiter conjunction to his solar return MC (13 Gemini) from April 5 to April 11 is also likely to bring the feeling of success and optimism.

Unfortunately, the landscape will quickly shift on or around April 11, possibly beginning as early as April 9, when transiting Saturn moves to conjunct Obama’s natal Neptune (8Scorpio36), from April 9 through April 23, and his progressed Moon moves into the beginning of its month-long square with progressed Saturn (23Capricorn). Something is likely to occur that is deeply distressing to the president and that may upset him for several weeks. The building Sun/Mars conjunction from April 12 through April 18 points to either a brief build-up of hostilities in some area  or possibly a very destructive natural event at that time. With the Sun/Mars in square to US Pluto (27 Capricorn) from April 15 through April 17, we may see some brief confrontation with US power. The Saturn transit quincunx US Uranus (April 4 to April 19) points to the difficulty the US has in moving quickly and effectively in the face of an upsetting situation that may develop.

There is no way to predict what this tension during the middle two weeks of April will bring. It could be intensified partisan wrangling and the disappointing defeat of important legislation such as gun control or a heightened international conflict (Korea, Syria) or another high-profile violent event in the US. The only thing that is clear is that the president goes from relative optimism under Jupiter during the first days of the month into a much more frustrated and stressful time in mid-April that points to something we might all be witnessing with bated breath.

Although this seems to be good news in the short run, it nonetheless feels like one more step forward in the path to an impending, wider war in the Middle East. With the increasing difficulty of keeping Syria’s civil war from spilling over its borders, with Hezbollah’s growing grip on Lebanon while that nation’s more moderate Prime Minister resigns, and with Iran edging ever closer to a nuclear weapon despite the world’s opposition and the tightening sanctions, it is hard not to worry about the escalating danger of a regional conflagration in the months or years ahead. Even the success of President Obama’s push to reunite Turkey and Israel after a recent breach in their relationship, can be seen as a lining up of global alliances on a path towards a far bigger breach.

As an astrologer, I am especially concerned, given that we continue to be in the midst of the waxing Uranus/Pluto square over the next two years.  This aspect describes growing world-wide tensions, with the potential for massive upheavals against a confining status quo and intense, explosive power struggles. We have already seen the Arab Spring and its rather tumultuous aftermath in several countries, the ongoing and fierce civil war in Syria, the swelling conflict between Iran and Israel, and the growing unrest in several other African nations. This swirling, wild energy will continue to build through March 2015, with maximum impact, when exact, in May and October 2013, in April 2014, and from November 2014 through February 2015. Moreover, transiting Jupiter, acting to exaggerate the already potent impact of these two planetary behemoths, will be in opposition to Pluto and square to Uranus during late July and August 2013, in January and February 2014, and, aspecting both Uranus and Pluto simultaneously, in April 2014.

As noted, it is in April 2014 when these aspects come together, with an exact Uranus/Pluto square magnified by a hard aspect from Jupiter. A slow-moving retrograde Mars will also be in the mix at that time. Moreover, this combustible, highly agitated configuration will directly impact the charts of Israel, the US, and Iran.

The most commonly used chart for Iran derives from the 1979 revolution, with the Sun at 11Aries06. In this chart, transiting Pluto is currently in a long square to the natal Sun, from late January through May 2013, returning in December 2013, and again from July through October 2014. This aspect implies a sense of intense power struggle within the government and between the government and outside forces. The global alliance against Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the crippling economic sanctions aimed to thwart it are certainly manifestations of this ongoing confrontation.

Moreover, transiting Uranus will conjunct the Iranian Sun from late April through May 18, 2013, and from mid-July through mid-September 2013, as well as in February and March 2014, pointing to times of potentially precipitous action and sudden unpredictable and transformative events. The addition of a long, slow Jupiter station very close to a square to Iran’s Sun in February and March 2014 suggests a time of enormous confidence and success, possibly pointing to a culmination of nuclear ambitions.

It should also be noted that the present parliamentary regime in Iran was founded in 1906 and is still functioning, despite the collapse of the monarchy in 1979. It is this chart, assuming it is still relevant, that most strikingly points to the potential of a confrontation in the spring of 2014. The Sun here is 13Libra10, with solar arc Pluto conjunct the natal Sun from March 2014 through March 2015. The natal Sun is square to natal Neptune (12Cancer36) and semisquare to natal Venus (28Sorpio19). Moreover, these planets in the Iran 1906 chart are in tight hard aspect to the US Sun (13Cancer19) and the Israeli Mars (28Leo18), which itself will be under a solar arc progressed Uranus conjunct natal Mars from February 2014 through February 2015. And quite dramatically, hitting all of these combustible combinations multiple times in 2014 through early 2015 – in Iran, Israel, and the US – will be transiting Uranus (13 Aries), transiting Pluto (13 Capricorn), transiting Jupiter (13 Cancer), and transiting retrograde Mars 13 Libra, with all of them coalescing in April 2014.

With astrology, we can never predict precisely how things will unfold. What is possible is a description of the quality of energy that will surround events during a particular time frame. There is currently a strong build-up of tension in the world that is likely to flare up each time the Uranus/Pluto square becomes exact and most intensely when it is further strengthened by other transits such as from Jupiter and Mars. With several national charts drawn into the turmoil in 2013 and more profoundly in 2014 due to the impact of these inflammatory configurations, we can predict the likelihood for some very tumultuous, explosive, and transformative events erupting. How these will play out is unknown, but today’s situation certainly points to the potential for a huge geopolitical conflict quite possibly sparked in the spring of 2014, one year from now.

In the astrological calendar, the Spring Equinox coincides with the first degree of the first sign of the zodiac, Aries, and thus heralds the birth of the new astrological year.  A chart may be drawn for this moment, calibrated to the time zone and location of the capital city of any country, offering some indications about the coming year for that particular nation. The most significant evidence in these charts often comes from potent, tight aspects to the angles, which later get set off by powerful transits.

One example is the Spring chart for 2001 drawn for Washington, DC, which had Uranus (22Aquarius58) square to the Ascendant (21Taurus58).  Uranus retrograded back to the exact square to that Ascendant in early September, arriving just past it at 21Aquarius53 on September 11, and remaining very close to that square until crossing for the final time in mid-December 2001. This was a period of extraordinary turmoil, upset, and transformation in the US, including the terrorist attacks of September 11, the anthrax attacks, and the initial phase of the new war. It should also be noted that there was a very tight Mars/Pluto conjunction in the Spring 2001 chart, which indicated the extreme violence that erupted later in the year.

The Spring 2013 chart also carries within it a very dangerous configuration: a tight Mars (6Aries21)/Uranus (7Aries59) conjunction square to the Moon (7Cancer59). This points to sudden, violent, and transformative eruptions during the coming year. This trend is most likely to influence those living in the countries where this configuration is in strong aspect to the horizon or meridian lines.

In 2013, the most dramatically affected Spring Equinox charts are the ones drawn for Beijing, China, and Caracas, Venezuela.  The Chinese chart is particularly impacted, with the Ascendant at 8Libra14 and the MC at 9Cancer28.  From March 20 through March 24, 2013, transiting Uranus will cross the Descendant of this chart, with Mars transiting there as well from March 20 through March 22. This suggests some kind of sharp spike of turmoil, rebellion, or upheaval around that time, including the possibility of a dramatic weather or natural event. Moreover, transiting Uranus will square the Chinese Spring chart Midheaven from March 28 through April 15, indicating an unexpected shake-up within the government.

Transiting Uranus will not be returning to the Ascendant degree in the Chinese Spring chart, but it will return twice more to the square with the Midheaven, from October 5 through October 31 and from December 17 through February 1, 2014.  Moreover, there will be an overlap with the long station of Pluto conjunct the IC (9Capricorn28) of the Spring chart from June 25 through November 4, 2013, with the combination suggesting some sudden upheaval and significant power struggles in the last months of the year. The first crossing of Saturn to the Chinese natal chart Venus (19Scorpio26) from December 12 through December 22, indicates that this buildup of tensions within the government and perhaps between the government and the people may lead to a very stressful time in December 2013.

Unlike the Chinese Spring chart, the one drawn for Caracas, Venezuela is only impacted by a transit of Uranus immediately after the Equinox, and not at all by any transit of Pluto to one of the angles. The Ascendant of this chart is 8Aries14 and will be crossed by Uranus from March 20 through March 24 and by Mars from March 20 through March 22. There may be significant domestic upheaval or potentially violent protest during this time, but events will quickly subside. The last week of July 2013 will bring a Jupiter/Mars conjunction square to the Spring chart Ascendant, implying further upheaval but likely far less drama than what may show up in late March.

It should always be remembered that any indications found in these yearly Spring Equinox charts will be far more relevant when they are supported by indications in the corresponding national natal chart. But they always yield important clues as to where to turn our collective gaze.