Myanmar has returned to its dark days of military oppression with the army seizing power, claiming that recent elections giving an 83% victory to Aung San Suu Kyi’s party and trouncing their own party were fraudulent. They have installed their commander-in-chief as leader and detained senior politicians. The country was ruled by the military from 1962 to 2011, and the transition to democracy thereafter still guaranteed three important ministries and 25 per cent of parliament for army appointees.
Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of the Father of the nation, became a heroine in the west during her 15 years of house arrest, showered with the Nobel and other medals. But her reputation was irreparably tarnished when she gradually returned to power as the de facto leader, by her unwillingness to condemn the atrocities and genocide waged by the army against the Rohingya minority in the country’s west. Her submission to the military in other areas as well brought concerns that she was legitimising their control.
Myanmar was founded as Burma at a time set by astrologers as propitious, on 4 January 1948 at 4.20am Rangoon. The unyielding Saturn Pluto in Leo was in place with Saturn square a Taurus North Node; and a Capricorn Sun trine Mars and in a vague square to Neptune Moon. It’s difficult to see what the astrologers thought they were picking apart from Jupiter on the Ascendant.
The country chart has a deadlocked and possibly violent Solar Arc Mars square Saturn this year; a disruptive and shocking Solar Arc Uranus conjunct Mars as well; and an undermining tr Neptune square its 7th house Uranus. Co-operation with the international community has never been the country’s strong point with Uranus in the 7th, and there is already condemnation from the White House and the EU about the coup. There’s also a tr Uranus square the Myanmar Pluto from mid this year which could point to a rebellious backlash as the younger generation react against oppression. Tr Uranus also squares and tr Saturn is conjunct the country’s financial Venus so there may be sanctions and shortages as a result.
Aung San Suu Kyi, 19 June 1945, is yet another Sun Gemini with Uranus close by and both square Jupiter in Virgo. She’s also got an intense, stubborn and not-exactly-compassionate Venus Mars in Taurus square Pluto.
At the moment she has her Progressed Mars conjunct her Sun for a distinct shock and it stays in effect for months to come. This year also the tr Uranus in Taurus square tr Saturn in Aquarius is rattling her Pluto and Venus for a major and scary upheaval over coming months; with a run of disastrous and undermining Neptune transits in hard aspect to her Jupiter now, then her Sun/Uranus and Mars/Pluto, moving on to square her Sun in 2023. Then she has a downbeat and stuck Solar Arc Saturn square her Sun in 2024. Nothing that looks too cheerful ahead.
It is so terribly sad to
see how little progress Burma has made; if anything, it may have gone backwards, exchanging a bit more prosperity and a lot more corruption, for even less freedom and the Rohingya genocide, compared to what I saw and heard from locals when visiting back in ‘87.
My guess about the astrologers’ “auspicious” determination is that they probably saw Saturn and Pluto in Leo as representing power and stability, for the benefit of the rulers, of course, not the people. And Asian cultures in general prize Saturn.
There is something almost tragic in that Suu Kyi sacrificed her family life in the UK for her country (her husband died in England without being able to see her, and she refused to leave Burma because she might not be able to return), only for all her efforts to come to nought.
As I understand it the Burmese astrology used in the election of the chart did not use the outer bodies. No Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
OT
‘Screech’ from ‘Save By the Bell’ has died.
RIP.
Each comment has the same level of command for English language, conveying clearly and maturely delivered.. is this not all the same person? Marjorie?
The mayanmar column is Expertly executed!! I am intrigued about Burmese astrology and it’s use of outer planets..
you write brilliant column Marjorie!!
The moment of Burmese (Myanmar) independence was chosen by an astrologer. The problem overlooked was that Mars turned retrograde 5 days later. Burmese progressed Mars therefore is retrograde from 1952 to 2033. A long difficult start.
Last month, it wasn’t a good month for Capricorn Suns, now it seems Gemini Suns have bad times (BoJo, who gets a boost from NHS doing their job, excluded).
I would use Aung San Suu Kyi as an example of not building “freedom fighters” up too much (Navalnyi’s case, he has some problematic views, too). I think that in her case, Saturn conjunct NN quite likely squaring Libra Moon and SN in Capricorn was the warning sign for essentially authoritarian and nationalistic aspirations.
Thanks Marjorie. Depressing news for people of Myanmar.
Thank you Marjorie. More upheaval, shocking if not exactly unexpected. From friends who once worked there, I believe Burmese astrologers don’t use the outer planets, similar to Indian astrologers.
It’s interesting how much the outer planets add, and alter or deepen the chart. Without them, you would just have a Moon trine Venus, without Neptunian slipperiness. That could describe Aung San Suu Kyi, with her own Moon in Libra aligning with Burma’s Moon/Venus. She was perceived as a Moon trine Venus symbol I think, plus her very curated “image” is quite Libran – the pretty, traditional outfits, the flowers in her hair and so on. She was known as “The Lady”, quite descriptive of a Moon-Venus trine.
Burma’s Sun Mercury trine Mars, looks auspicious and energetic. Jupiter trine Saturn would suggest longevity, and the power of a lasting leadership – from quite a masculine perspective perhaps, which would be the ever-present military. Tr Mars in Taurus is trining the Burma Sun now, while conjunct Aung San Suu Kyi’s Venus. The Sun in Aquarius is conjunct the Burmese Venus, with Jupiter and Saturn close by. Tr Saturn is square Aung San Suu Kyi’s Mars at the moment – the military forces restrict her ability to act. I suspect an astrologer may have been consulted about the best time to make this move.
The problem for all electional astrologers … can you pick a favourable chart for us to set our new country up on … “Sure, three years time will be much better than this year. can you wait?” …
Yes indeed! But if you leave out the outer planets, it gets a bit easier I think. If less nuanced and mostly less accurate in the long run.