Saudi Arabia is sliding back to the bad old days in resuming death sentences for teenagers over political protests despite earlier promises to end the practice. A doctoral student has also been given 34 years for her twitter activity.
Critics of Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the crown prince, fear he is cracking down on domestic dissent, because of fear of opposition to his rule from within the royal family. Biden’s recent cap-in-hand visit to negotiate for oil as a result of shortages caused by the Ukraine invasion would embolden MBS.
Born 31 August 1985 in Riyadh, he is a Sun Virgo sextile Pluto trine Neptune so has the hallmarks of megalomaniac ambition; with his Pluto in a super-confident and pushy square to Jupiter opposition Venus; and an obstinate and flamboyant Mars, Mercury in Leo square Saturn in Scorpio. Tr Saturn hitting on his Mercury, Mars, Saturn this year will give him pause for doubt; and he’ll face a few outbursts, eruptions of tension, upsets and upheaval in 2023, more in 2024 as tr Uranus opposes his Saturn, squares his Mercury, then his Mars. He also have a couple of sinking Neptunian Solar Arcs in 2023/2024 which won’t do much for his morale or his plans.
In certain respects he fits the Saudi country chart reasonably well since his Jupiter is conjunct the Saudi Mars Mercury so he will be a motivator and encourager of reform. His Pluto is conjunct the Saudi Midheaven and his Saturn falls in the Saudi 10th, so at best he could steer the country in a sensible direction – if he curbed his control-freak tendencies.
But his Pluto and South Node in Scorpio are conjunct the Saudi North Node which is a fated and not progressive connection. His Pluto conjunct his South Node will tilt him away from prevailing values and will prompt him to attempt large-scale changes without regard for their effect of people. That pulls against what Saudi Arabia needs to do to develop constructively.
His relationship chart with Saudi Arabia indicates a ruthless connection with a focal point Pluto square Mars and composite Sun. It is going through a time of disruption and upheaval this year with tr Uranus opposition the composite Sun, Mars and conjunct the Venus – with 2024 seeing an even greater strain with tr Uranus square the composite Pluto.
Saudi Arabia, 15 January 1902 3.45am Riyadh, is facing two years of rolling crises in 2023/24 from tr Pluto conjunct the Mars/Saturn midpoint. With a dead-halt in 2025 from Solar Arc Pluto square Saturn and tr Pluto in an infuriating and completely stuck tr Pluto conjunct the Sun/Mars midpoint and conjunct the Mercury.
The turn of the decade will see the Saudi Scorpio North Node facing its moment of truth with tr Pluto in square and conjunct the Saudi Mars – which could involve giving up past dreams of vast wealth and possessions and starting over.
Pluto in Capricorn appears to be foisting either completely inept leaders or total thugs onto the huddled masses. All too wearisome.
It’s not as black and white as that.
When he took power in 2017, MBS relaxed restrictions on women – it’s that Uranus trine Venus. For the first time since 1979, women were allowed to drive and to work. He also re-opened the cinemas and stopped segregation by gender in cinemas and shopping malls.
All of which infuriated the clerics and members of the royal family. He cracks down on dissidents from time to time to prove he hasn’t gone woke. But within the Saudi context, he’s in the centre.
He’s popular with the Saudi public (who are majority under 40) – it’s his Moon conj the Saudi Moon.
The west might have been more comfortable with his more conservative religious predecessors who provided oil without question.
But his own people feel he’s putting them first and that the relaxations of the last five years would disappear if the west engineered a return to the pre-2017 style leaders (providing unlimited oil in return for going back to religious restrictions without criticism). They’re not wrong. Bush, Obama/Biden did not criticise the extreme religious restrictions towards women of the previous kings because they were seen as “helpful”.
Oh Marjorie – so I am not the only one who is tired, tired, tired of the monsters grinding everything up out there. It feels better if one peers among the daisies, weather permitting! I admire you keeping up the thinking.