Middle East – shifting sands with storms to come

 As the Middle East stands on the brink of a new order after Israel’s onslaught on the Lebanon it is worth considering what has shifted in the power game. The attack on Hezbollah strikes at the heart of Iran’s influence in the region and also undermines Bashar Assad in Syria who relied on Hezbollah’s fighters to prop up his regime.

  Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Khameini, born 17 July 1939, took over on 6 August 1989. His personal chart has been under massive strain last year and this with tr Pluto grinding its way in hard aspect round his Pluto (Moon)opposition Mars in Aquarius square Saturn in Taurus T square which will have taken its toll on his already failing health. That T square has also moved by Solar Arc to exactly aspect his Sun with SA Saturn conjunct. Double jeopardy.

His Leadership chart is also showing the strain of recent events with the Solar Arc Neptune Saturn in hard aspect to the Sun square Pluto, eroding his grip.

 Likewise for different reasons Bashar Assad, 11 September 1965, who took over the throne on 17 July 2000, is facing a high-risk, undermining time ahead. His personal chart has tr Saturn opposing his Sun, Pluto, Uranus in Virgo into early next year – and more significantly his Solar Arc Sun is in a panicky, confused conjunction to his Neptune now and over coming months; a trapped, high-risk Solar Arc Pluto conjunct his Mars exactly now with a disruptive SA Uranus conjunct Mars in place  before the end of this year. A perfect storm.

  His Term chart has the Solar Arc Neptune square the Saturn exactly now for grave uncertainty; and disappointment follows. With jolts and disruptions later next year with SA Sun opposition the Uranus. And tr Uranus conjunct the Saturn at 28 Taurus from June 2025 onwards into 2026.

 Uranus reaching 28 degrees in Taurus shows up as critical in several charts and will be a time to watch since it also catches Israel’s 10th house Mars at 28 degrees Leo. So there may be/is likely to be another round of mayhem then.

  It shows up on the Qatar country chart and the Qatar/UAE relationship.

 The other critical degree will be Uranus at 23 Taurus which is conjunct the Israel Sun late this December to mid March 2025. And also rattles the Mars in Leo on Mohammed bin Salman’s chart. He is uncertain at the moment with his Solar Arc Saturn conjunct the Neptune now and especially edgy as tr Neptune Saturn move into Aries before mid 2025 to square his Neptune and SA Saturn.

 If there is a region wide conflict Egypt will undoubtedly be dragged in as well. President Al Sisi looks less than enamoured of Netanyahu in that late December to mid March patch and is on high alert with disruptions right through till mid 2025.

  Too many charts – and two much shifting on the chessboard.  Thoughts to keep in mind. ‘Over the long run, the death and destruction in Lebanon caused by Israeli air strikes is likely to create a new generation of Hezbollah soldiers. Some 60 per cent of Hamas fighters are thought to be orphans from previous conflicts.’ ‘Lebanon’s weak caretaker government may well be incapable of moving into any vacuum left by Hezbollah, in which case Israel could have a failed state on its borders.’

Regional chaos could come with Turkey and Yemen also involved.   

 If Kamala Harris wins, her Mars Midheaven line runs through the Middle East.

11 thoughts on “Middle East – shifting sands with storms to come

  1. For once Netanyahu is not wrong. Persia/pre Islamic Republic Iran was a highly cultured and civilized place. Is a real tragedy they were taken over by ‘the beards’.

  2. Thanks Marjorie. Ominous, and yet also so chaotic with such a web of shadowy alliances and conflicts across the region for centuries. Netanyahu has just made a dramatic appeal to the Iranian population, reported this evening. He’s (in a nutshell) encouraging them to rid themselves of the current regime, and remember the glories of ancient Persia…..

    “Ayatollah Khameini, born 17 July 1939, took over on 6 August 1989. His personal chart has been under massive strain last year and this with tr Pluto grinding its way in hard aspect round his Pluto (Moon)opposition Mars in Aquarius square Saturn in Taurus T square which will have taken its toll”

    The Ayatollah was born as the world moved towards the start of the Second World War, 1st September, 1939.
    According to the astro.com chart, that momentous event had MC 26 Taurus, BML 28 Aquarius, both in line for the potentially revolutionary visit of Uranus now, and going forward. The WW2 fixed t-square is Saturn in Taurus, Pluto in Leo, and Nodes 2 Scorpio/Taurus. The Libra and Aries Solar eclipses touch that chart’s Jupiter, 7 Aries, Ayatollah’s 8 Aries – the leader? Might the ‘leader’ be eclipsed in some way? The Pisces/Virgo Lunar eclipses nudge the 2WW Neptune, 22 Virgo, Ayatollah’s 21 Virgo. Sacrifice and confusion, even poisonous gases for the population?

    I’m certainly not hinting at world war, but wondering whether there’s the ghost of chance we, collectively, could do something different during these febrile times. The approaching Mars retrograde in Leo and Cancer, plus the Mars oppositions to Pluto, could also be important.

    • Just to add – following Netanyahu’s speech yesterday, I thought about how it seemed to reference Cyrus the Great, and the ancient Persian Empire. Cyrus’ Proclamation freed the Jews who were held in captivity in Babylon, and allowed for the rebuilding of the ruined Temple in Jerusalem. This biblical piece of history is an important one, remembered in Jewish tradition, culture, and history.

      29th October, 538 BCE appears to be the date for the Proclamation, a full Moon with Sun 29 Libra and Moon 29 Aries. There’s a grand trine in Air, Mercury 24 Libra, Sun 29 Libra, Jupiter 22 Gemini, Pluto 26 Gemini, Saturn 29 Aquarius. Interesting to see how that connects with the path of Uranus, Pluto, and even a Jupiter return now.
      Here’s a quote from Cyrus the Great, from Xenophon’s 4th Century BCE book, Cyrus the Great:

      “Whenever you can, act as a liberator. Freedom, dignity, wealth–these three together constitute the greatest happiness of humanity. If you bequeath all three to your people, their love for you will never die.”

    • For once Netanyahu is not wrong. Persia/pre Islamic Republic Iran was a highly cultured and civilized place. Is a real tragedy they were taken over by ‘the beards’.

      • It is. Perhaps particularly for women and young people. I realise, too, that 2nd October, the much discussed Libran Solar eclipse, is also the start of Rosh Hashana and Jewish New Year 2nd – 4th October this year. Seems more significant than ever somehow. The Jewish religious calendar is both solar and lunar, while the Islamic one is lunar.

        • The Sun in Libra has been conjunct BML this week. So I was very moved by the story of the young Yazidi girl, kidnapped 10 years ago by ISIS, enslaved abd eventually sold to an ISIS militant and supporter in Gaza. Throughout her captivity she was raped and forcibly married to these extremists. She was just 11 years old when kidnapped. Fundamentalist Religion is the enemy of women and girls worldwide, it poisons the whole world.

  3. Kamala’s Mars is at 21 Leo and Trump’s is at 29 Leo. Both are shaken up by the Uranus square but for Kamala the worst of it is over.

    Pluto at the last degree of Capricorn is bringing a change of epoch in world history. Another indication that Kamala will win. His-story is about to become her-story.

    Personally, I have natal Pluto in the 8th at 26 Leo and the Moon at 28, now both being squared by Uranus. Huge, satisfying and liberating change.

    • @Andre: vis a vis your final para: I think we were born in the same year but some months apart. I also have Pluto/Moon conjunct at 26 Leo (separated by only a few minutes). In my case falling in my 3rd house of communication and siblings! Last week’s emotional crisis I overcame by finally saying no. I had expected ructions but there were none and I feel great relief. Liberation from family expectations. Going through a process of jettisoning all that weighs me down. Like you, embracing change. I wonder whether we would get on or not if we were ever to meet!

      • Pleased for you SuHu. It’s amazing how we build things up in our minds as problems, only to find that no-one else really sees them that way.

        I too have moon at 26Leo and life has been changing gradually this year but nothing too stressful (yet). Things may be brewing with my mother and I wish she had learned the lesson you have. She has high expectations of herself because she thinks everyone else cares that the dinner is presented at exactly 1pm to the minute, or that other people will criticise her when she got stuck in traffic despite budgeting an extra hour to get there! When things are problematic she passes on that stress. I’m an expert at not accepting the baton, and therefore she turns to other enablers, but sometimes I am unavoidably in the firing line.

  4. I follow the daily reports from within Syria, from a cat shelter called Ernesto’s in Aleppo. It claims the Syrian borders are now closed and food & meds have become quite scarce. The shelter is worried about all-out war with syria’s neighbors which could last a long time.

    • Ernesto is a great guy, so caring and selfless, staying amidst the fighting and chaos to care for the orphaned animals.

      On another subject — It doesn’t surprise me that so many of the Hamas (and probably Hezbollah) fighters are orphans from the Israeli assaults. I’ve always been supportive of Israel’s right to exist — but the poor Palestinians and Lebanese also have a right to exist in their own lands. I can easily understand why they would fight the Israelis after the way they’ve been treated. I have no doubt that if I lived in Gaza I too would fight for my own and my people’s survival.

Leave a Comment